The Queen's Knight
by cleotheo
Summary: There's a new craze in the wizarding world: Immersion Books. When Harry and Ron buy one for Hermione's birthday she finds herself immersed in a medieval world where a certain blond Slytherin has been cast as her lover.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – ****This is a slightly different sort of story with the majority of the story set in medieval times, so it's really a story inside a story. Hopefully the first couple of chapters will explain how the immersion books work, but feel free to ask questions if there's something I haven't explained properly. ****This story is set where Voldemort hasn't been an issue and the only problems between Draco and Hermione and her friends stem from the fact he's in a rival house.**

**As one of my New Year's resolutions I've vowed not to publish anything new that I haven't finished writing so this story is complete and will be updated quickly.**

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A few days before the new school term was about to begin, Molly and Arthur Weasley visited Diagon Alley to get school supplies for the two members of the family that hadn't yet finished Hogwarts, Ron and Ginny. Alongside the two youngest Weasley children were Ron's best friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Hermione and Harry were spending the last week of the holidays with their friend and as such they had decided to wait and all get their school supplies together.

After getting all the school supplies Molly and Arthur had headed back to The Burrow, leaving the four teenagers to have another hour in Diagon Alley. Harry, Ron and Hermione were all about to start their seventh year and Ginny her sixth, so Molly trusted them to behave for an hour or so, she also trusted them to return home when she had told them to.

After Molly and Arthur had left them alone Harry and Ron were disappointed when the first shop the girls wanted to visit was Flourish and Blotts, the book shop. Hermione's eagerness to visit the bookstore wasn't surprising but Ginny's eagerness did take the boys by surprise. Harry and Ron soon realised why Ginny was so eager to visit the shop when the girls rushed over to a large display of the latest phenomenon in the wizarding world, immersion books.

Immersion books had been released at the beginning of the summer and they had proved a big hit. While the books had a traditional story that you could read they also came with a spell that allowed the reader to immerse themselves into the story, taking the part of the lead character. The spell also cast the entire set of characters in the book with people that the reader knew, it filtered information from the reader's brain and cast the appropriate person in the role. While the immersion spell didn't allow the person casting it to change anything about the story it allowed them to live it first hand and experience everything the lead character did.

While Hermione and Ginny were fussing over the books Harry and Ron went off wandering the store. Ten minutes later, totally bored and eager to leave, they returned to where the girls were still standing looking at the books. Hermione and Ginny looked totally absorbed with the books so Harry and Ron settled down at a nearby table, knowing it was pointless to speak to the girls while they were still so happy looking at the display.

"Oh look, Hermione." Ginny squealed, beckoning to Hermione as she walked over to a nearby shelf. "These are the adult set."

"By adult set do you mean the ones with the risqué bits?" Hermione asked, moving to beside Ginny.

When Ginny confirmed she was looking at immersion books that contained naughty bits, Harry and Ron started to listen to the conversation. Neither boy knew that there were versions of the books that were raunchier. Obviously they knew the books catered for a wide age range and different sexes, they even knew the books spread over multiple genres but this was the first mention they had heard of books with naughty bits.

"I would love to read some of these." Ginny said, showing Hermione a few titles.

"And who would be your leading man?" Hermione asked with a grin. "Harry, perhaps?" She teased.

Ginny giggled and nodded her head, she'd been going out with Harry for a few months and liked the idea of immersing herself in a story where he was the lead male. Neither of the girls had realised that Harry and Ron were sitting listening to them so Ginny spent a few minutes pointing out a few of the books she would like to read.

"I like the look of the historical ones." Hermione said, picking one of the books up and showing it to Ginny.

"Look at this one, a young maid in the royal household is seduced by the prince leading to scandal." Ginny read part of the synopsis from the back of the book. Each book was magically sealed so they couldn't be opened in the shop and the spells used without a purchase being made. "I didn't know you liked this sort of thing." She said to Hermione as she handed the book back to her friend.

"I've got a few books like this at home." Hermione said, placing the book back onto the shelf. "I like the medieval ones the best, princesses being saved by handsome princes, chivalrous knights, that sort of thing."

"Maybe you'll get lucky and a knight in shining armour will buy you one for your birthday." Ginny laughed as the girls began to wander away from the display. They still hadn't spotted Harry and Ron as they headed in the opposite direction.

"I should be so lucky." Hermione muttered as she and Ginny disappeared around the book shelves and out of Harry and Ron's sight.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ron asked, turning to Harry.

"Well I'm wondering if I should buy your sister one of those books, so I'm kind of hoping you're not thinking the same thing." Harry retorted.

"I was thinking about Hermione." Ron said, standing up and heading for the shelf where the girls had just been standing. "Maybe if I buy her one of these books she'll finally notice me, maybe she'll be so grateful that when she does the spell I end up being her leading man."

Harry followed Ron to the bookshelf, shaking her head at his friend's optimism. For as long as Harry could remember Ron had been in love with Hermione but their female friend was totally oblivious to the fact, treating Ron exactly as she did Harry. Harry suspected that Hermione just didn't see Ron in a romantic light but his redheaded friend was stubborn and refused to believe that she didn't like him in that way.

"Bloody hell." Ron exclaimed, bringing Harry's attention back to him. "Have you seen the price of these buggers?"

Harry picked up a book and almost dropped it when he spotted the price. The book was ridiculously expensive and even if he and Ron pooled their money they still wouldn't have enough to buy Hermione one.

"Sorry mate, it looks like we'll have to find something else for her birthday." Harry clapped Ron on the back sympathetically. He knew Hermione would have loved a book and as such Ron would have been her favourite person for months.

"Damn it." Ron sighed as they turned and walked away from the display. "I thought I'd really found a way to impress her."

"I'm sure you'll think of some way to get Hermione to notice you." Harry told Ron with a smile. He wasn't sure if Hermione would ever notice Ron but he wanted to support his friend.

"There you are, we've been looking for you." Ginny suddenly popped up in front of the boys. "Come on, we're going to get ice-cream."

Harry and Ron followed the girls from the bookshop and the four teenagers made their way to the ice-cream parlour further down the road. After deciding what they wanted Harry and Ron went to order the sundaes as Hermione and Ginny grabbed the last table in the sun. Joining the queue Harry and Ron stood behind two gossiping witches, one of whom was showing her friend her new immersion book.

"I want one of those." The witch sighed, looking longingly at her friends purchase. "But they're so expensive."

"I'll tell you a secret, I only paid half price for it." The witch whispered to her friend.

Harry and Ron shared excited looks and they leant a bit closer to the gossiping witches, eager to hear where the first witch had gotten her half price book from.

"Where did you get it?" Her friend asked.

"Knockturn Alley. There's a small bookshop at the end of the street and they have the entire collection."

"No." Harry shook his head at Ron as the two witches stepped up to the counter to be served. "We're not allowed in Knockturn Alley, besides nothing good ever comes from that place."

"It's only a book, Harry." Ron protested. "If they're selling them half price we can go halves on a one for Hermione and we won't have to worry about her birthday."

"I suppose so." Harry admitted reluctantly. Hermione's birthday was in a little over a month and as usual he had no idea what to get for his friend, half of an immersion book would be a good present.

"Come on Harry, let's go and get one." Ron said to his friend. "We can leave the ice-creams with the girls and we'll only be a few minutes."

"Go on then." Harry sighed in defeat. "Hermione will love us forever for this."

"I hope so." Ron grinned.

After getting their ice-creams the boys headed back to Hermione and Ginny. After depositing the sundaes on the table they said they had to go and get something before they quickly rushed out of the girl's sight. Once they were sure the girls couldn't see them Harry and Ron slipped into Knockturn Alley.

Unlike Diagon Alley, which was bathed in sunlight, Knockturn Alley was dingy and dark with several disreputable characters lurking amongst the shadows. Luckily for Harry and Ron the bookshop they wanted was one of the shops nearest to Diagon Alley. Slipping inside the dark shop Harry and Ron were both having second thoughts about their visit when an old witch approached them.

"Can I help you, dearies?" She asked in a scratchy voice. "Are you looking for anything special?"

"We're looking for the immersion books." Harry answered as nothing happened when Ron opened his mouth to speak. From the looks of the redhead he was nervous around the old witch.

"They're over here." The old witch beckoned for Harry and Ron to follow her as she moved deeper into the shadows of the shop. Slightly reluctantly the two boys shuffled after the old crone. "Are you looking for one in particular?"

"We want one of the adult ones, a medieval one." Harry told the witch.

"Ah, a good choice." The witch grinned toothily at the boys. "You can't beat a bit of good old fashioned romance. Do you have a certain one in mind?"

"Not really." Harry said. "We just know our friend likes medieval romance books."

"There's a large section in the historical romance but there is three really good ones set in medieval times." The witch rummaged through the shelves before she showed the boys three books. "There's one about a maid and a prince, one about a prince and princess forced to get married despite the fact they hate each other and the third one is a forbidden love affair between a queen and a knight."

"What do you think?" Harry asked Ron. Since it was Ron's idea to get the book Harry figured his friend should get to choose the title.

"The queen and knight." Ron replied, finally finding his voice. He was still hoping to be the hero in the story when Hermione used the immersion spell and the knight one sounded more appealing to him.

"Excellent choice young man." The witch said to Ron as she replaced the other books back to the shelf and shuffled over to the checkout.

After paying for their purchase the witch gift wrapped the book and handed it to Harry. After thanking the witch for her help the boys hurried out of the shop and bolted back to Diagon Alley.

"I'm pleased to be out of there." Ron shivered dramatically as he looked back at Knockturn Alley. "That place gives me the creeps."

"Me too." Harry agreed. "But it was worth it to get Hermione this book."

"Yeah, it was." Ron smiled, already looking forward to her reaction when she opened the book on her birthday.

"Come one, let's get back to the girls before our ice-cream melts." Harry said, turning and heading in to the direction of the ice-cream parlour. "We don't want them asking questions about where we've been."

Ron nodded and the two boys headed back to where Hermione and Ginny were waiting for them. Settling down with their ice-creams they admitted they had been buying Hermione's birthday present when the girls started to question them on their whereabouts. The admission stopped the questioning as neither Hermione nor Ginny would ever consider the boys would have done anything as foolish as entering into Knockturn Alley to buy Hermione's present.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning of Hermione's birthday was spent with her friends in the grounds of Hogwarts, luckily her birthday fell on a Saturday so they didn't have to attend lessons. Hermione, alongside Harry, Ron and Ginny, had a late breakfast before enjoying the last of the sunshine down by the lake. Considering it was the middle of September it was still quite warm so the teenagers spent a few hours outside before they headed back into the school.

Instead of heading up to a packed Gryffindor Tower the foursome headed to the Head Dorms, which was where Hermione was residing. Upon her return to school Hermione had been made Head Girl and given quarters to share with the Head Boy. The quarters consisted of two bedrooms, a shared bathroom, a common room and small kitchen area. Hermione really liked her new living arrangements as she had more peace and quiet to study. The only slight downside to the situation was the Head Boy, Draco Malfoy.

Draco was a Slytherin, and the natural animosity between Slytherin and Gryffindor and the animosity between the Malfoy's and the Weasley's meant Hermione hadn't really had much to do with him before now. Hermione had soon discovered that the blond boy was nearly as bright as her and could easily hold a decent debate or conversation. The relationship between the two Head students had soon been established as a fiery one, one minute they could be getting along fine then someone could say something and they were bickering and sniping at one another. Another aspect of their relationship was the teasing and flirting, at least Draco teased and flirted with Hermione, she just got herself flustered when the blond focused his attention on her.

Luckily when the group returned to the Head dorms they were empty. Hermione may have learnt to live with Draco but her friends, Ron especially, still didn't like the frosty blond. Hermione wasn't going to push the issue and try and force people to get along, instead she tried to make sure when Harry and Ron visited her that Draco was elsewhere. She never bothered when Ginny visited her as the redhead seemed to have no problem with her Slytherin roommate.

"Where's Malfoy?" Ginny asked as she settled onto the sofa. In the few weeks since school had started Ginny had visited Hermione a few times and she definitely wasn't opposed to the gorgeous Head Boy being around.

"I don't know." Hermione shrugged. "Blaise was here this morning and they disappeared together."

"Who cares where Malfoy is." Ron tutted. "We should just be grateful he's not here."

Harry agreed with his best friend as the two boys sat down next to Ginny on the sofa, leaving Hermione to sit in the seat opposite them.

"I think we should give Hermione her presents." Ginny suggested, wanting to avoid having to listen to Harry and Ron moan about Draco.

"You go first then, Gin." Ron told his sister.

Ginny did as her brother requested and pulled her present from her bag and handed it to Hermione. Hermione opened the small gold box to find a silver charm bracelet with her name spelled out in charms.

"It's lovely Gin." Hermione smiled at her friend as she put the bracelet on. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Ginny smiled back at Hermione. "I'm pleased you like it."

"I just hope you like our present." Harry said. "Ron and I have gotten you a joint present this year."

Hermione raised an eyebrow in surprise as Ron pulled out a dark blue parcel from his bag and handed it to her. From the feel of the parcel Hermione would say the present was a book but Harry and Ron never bought her books for gifts, they always insisted she read too much and didn't need any more books.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, shaking the present to see if it made a noise.

"Open it and see." Ron replied with a grin. He was dying for Hermione to open her present and see the immersion book.

Not getting any clue from Harry either, Hermione ripped into the parcel. Quite quickly Hermione realised she had been right, her present was a book, but she had nearly all the paper off before she realised what sort of book it actually was.

"Oh wow, it's an immersion book." Hermione gasped, staring at the book in awe.

Ginny gasped at Hermione's words and rushed over to sit next to her friend. "Amazing." She whispered, looking just as awe struck as Hermione.

"How did you afford this?" Hermione asked her two best friends. "These books are so expensive, you really shouldn't have wasted your money on me."

"It's not a waste." Ron said. "It's worth it to see you smile like that."

Hermione blushed slightly at Ron's words as she set the book aside and got up. Heading over to Harry and Ron she gave both boys a hug and kiss before returning to her seat and re-picking her book up.

"It's a medieval one." Hermione said, reading the back of the book. "How did you know this is the sort of book I like?"

"You've got a few books set in medieval times, I've seen you reading them." Harry shrugged, giving their pre-prepared response. Neither Harry or Ron were comfortable with letting the girls know they had been eavesdropping on their conversation in Flourish and Blotts so they had invented a cover story in case Hermione asked how they picked which book to get her.

"Very observant." Ginny muttered, looking at Harry and Ron. She had a sneaking suspicion her brother and boyfriend weren't quite telling the truth about how they picked the book for Hermione.

"We try." Harry replied, smiling at Ginny in an attempt to distract his girlfriend.

Harry's plan worked as Ginny returned his smile before turning back to Hermione. "Are you going to try the immersion spell tonight?"

"I don't know." Hermione responded. "I might read the book first to see what's going to happen."

"Where's the fun in that?" Ginny scoffed at her friend's idea. "Do the immersion spell and live the story without knowing what's in store. I bet it's more fun that way."

"How exactly does the spell work?" Harry asked. "What happens if something bad happens to the main character? Will the same thing happen to you?"

"No, it doesn't work like that." Hermione shook her head and offered Harry a reassuring smile. "The spell is entirely in your head. Your body goes into a trance and all the action happens in your head. No matter what you experience in the story it's all in your head, you have the feelings and memories of experiencing it but your body is never affected."

"How long does it last?" Ron asked. "What if someone disturbs you when you're in the spell?"

"Each book lasts a different time." Hermione answered as she broke the seal on her book and opened it to the instructions page. There was a whole page of explanation about the book and what it was and at the bottom of the page was a sealed envelope with the spell incantation in. "This one for example, last two hours."

"As for people disturbing you, the advice is to cast the spell at a time you know you won't be disturbed and in a place where your body will be safe." Ginny added, answering the second part of Ron's question.

"What happens if you want to stop in the middle of the spell?" Harry asked.

"You can't." Hermione replied. "Once the spell is cast you have to live the entire book. So even though the spell on this book may only take two hours to complete while you're in the spell it could feel like weeks or months, however long the story is set over."

"How do you know how to act?" Ron asked. The more they were discussing the book the more he was finding he didn't have a clue how they worked. "What if you do or say something you shouldn't?"

"You can't." Ginny said with a shake of the head. "While your memories and thoughts are obviously in your head you also have the memories and experiences of the main character in there as well. You actually have no control over what you say and do, the story will play out exactly as it's written."

"That sounds odd." Ron curled his nose up in distaste. "I'm not sure I'd like to be sucked into a book and have no free will of my own, you just have to sit back and let things unfold as they're written."

"You have no sense of adventure, Ron." Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother. "I think it sounds great, living this beautiful love story and not knowing what's going to happen."

"What if it has a sad ending?" Hermione bit her lower lip as she contemplated sneaking a peak at the end of the book. Sneaking a peak at the end to see if there was a happy ending was a bad habit she had developed after she realised she disliked investing in a story only to have a tragic or sad ending, she was definitely a happy ever after sort of girl.

"Don't cheat, Hermione." Ginny grabbed the book from Hermione's hands and placed it on the coffee table. "Either read the book to find out the ending or better yet, live it."

In an attempt to stop herself from skimming the ending of her book Hermione suggested they go and get something to eat in The Great Hall. After lunch the group headed to Gryffindor Tower where they remained for the rest of the afternoon.

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After spending an afternoon in Gryffindor Tower with her friends Hermione returned to the Head dorms. There was still no sign of Draco in their shared space as Hermione headed into the bathroom for a long, relaxing bubble bath. After her bath Hermione dressed in her favourite pair of pyjamas and settled on her bed to read her new book. It was only when she looked at her bedside table that she realised she had forgotten to pick the book up and it was still lying on the coffee table in the common room.

Hopping out of bed Hermione headed down to the common room. Her book was lying exactly where Ginny had placed it earlier in the day and as Hermione reached for the novel a voice spoke from behind her.

"I admit Granger, I'm shocked to find you own a book like that."

Hermione whirled round to find Draco standing in the doorway that led to the kitchen. Despite herself Hermione couldn't help but think how attractive the blond looked leaning against the doorframe. He was dressed all in black, which contrasted perfectly against his pale skin and platinum blond hair.

"Why?" Hermione questioned. "Because they're expensive?"

"The price has nothing to do with it." Draco retorted, not moving from his place in the doorway. "I'm more shocked by the content. The book has an adult content warning."

"So?"

Hermione knew the book had an adult content warning but she hadn't brought it up with Harry and Ron. She had no idea if her friends had realised they had gotten her one of the adult books and she had been too embarrassed to mention it to them.

"So, you'll not be able to read the steamy scenes let alone immerse yourself in them." Draco retorted.

"And how would you know that?" Hermione glared at Draco.

Draco chuckled as he finally pushed himself away from the doorway and stalked towards Hermione. "I know you'll not be able to handle it after the way you reacted last week. All you did was see me leaving the bathroom half naked and you turned bright red, not to mention you couldn't look at me for days."

"I was taken by surprise." Hermione muttered. She could feel herself getting all flustered at the memory of Draco in just a towel. "I can read about sex perfectly fine."

"Ah, that's your plan." Draco smirked. "You'll read the book so you don't have to really deal with the sex. You'll never immerse yourself in the book, you couldn't cope."

"I could cope." Hermione snapped. "You know nothing about me and what I could cope with."

Draco laughed again and moved so he was standing directly behind Hermione, leaning down he whispered in her ear. "If you get embarrassed seeing me half naked then the racy scenes in your book will be too much for you to handle."

"I'm not as delicate as you think." Hermione said, pulling away from Draco. "I can immerse myself in this book and I will."

Glaring at Draco one final time Hermione stalked off to her bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind her. Satisfied she wouldn't be disturbed Hermione threw herself onto her bed and began reading about the immersion spell. The spell was pretty simple, once it was cast you drifted into a trance and after a few minutes you found yourself in the book. In the few minutes it took to be immersed in the book the characters were cast with the people you knew that were best suited for the roles.

Happy she understood the spell Hermione picked up her wand and opened the sealed envelope that contained the words. Taking a deep breath she cast the spell that would immerse her in her new book.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – From here the story transfers to a medieval setting for the majority of the story. As the book Hermione is immersed in is a racy romance the details of the time period might be slightly off (I just used what I know and what I've seen on various films and television programmes). The longer Hermione is in the book the more invested she becomes and her real thoughts and opinions merge more with her characters so at times in later chapters there is no distinction between Hermione and Queen Hermione. Hermione and Draco are usually just referred to by name, their titles aren't always mentioned whereas everyone else is always referred to by title.**

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Almost as soon as she cast the spell Hermione felt her eyes closing. Once her eyes were closed Hermione became aware that her surroundings were fading, for a minute or so she could feel herself sitting on her bed but gradually the feeling of sitting on her bed was replaced by the feeling of standing. Slowly Hermione became aware that she could feel air on her face and hear some faint noises, including bird song. As the noises grew louder something in Hermione told her to open her eyes.

When Hermione opened her eyes she found herself standing at a window, looking down on a bustling courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard stood a golden carriage and the surrounding area was teeming with knights and servants as they went about their duties. Looking down at herself she found she was wearing a long, golden gown. The skirts pooled around her feet while the bodice was quite tight and pushed her breasts up to look like quite an eyeful, all in all Hermione liked the way she looked in her fancy dress. Tearing her gaze away from herself Hermione turned back to the window, she watched the scene with interest for a few minutes before she turned away and gazed around the room she was in.

The room was exactly like Hermione pictured medieval chambers, the walls and floors were stone and the furniture was all practical. There was a four poster bed in half of the room, along with a dressing table and wooden wardrobe. The rest of the room contained a table and chairs and a large rocking chair next to the fire. Apart from the window she had been looking at there was three other windows in the room and the light flowed into the room nicely.

As she was looking around the room Hermione spotted a large wall hanging, a golden lion on a red background. Hermione recognised it as the symbol of Gryffindor, but she knew in this life Gryffindor was a kingdom and she was the princess. A quick scan through her thoughts revealed that there was four major kingdoms in the land, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Hermione couldn't help but chuckle that the names of the kingdoms had come from the four Hogwarts houses, clearly the spell used all of her knowledge to create the immersion fantasy.

Hermione was surprised by how much she knew as the princess, while her normal thoughts and memories were present in her head she had a whole set of thoughts and memories that came from Princess Hermione and her life in the kingdom of Gryffindor. Despite all she knew however no faces or names were coming to mind when she thought of people she knew as the princess, she was guessing that until she met them she wouldn't know who was cast in that particular role in the story.

A knock on the door suddenly halted Hermione's thoughts. "Come in." She called, without even thinking about responding, clearly the book's pull was stronger than her own curiosity.

Hermione watched the door as it opened and Ginny strode in, smiling widely at Hermione. The second Ginny entered the room Hermione knew she was her handmaiden, as well as her best friend. Hermione knew she and Ginny were practically the same age in the story and Ginny had been serving her for years, although in private they were more like sisters than mistress and servant.

"My Lady." Ginny curtsied quickly before shutting the door to the chambers behind her. "Are you nearly ready?"

At Ginny's question Hermione quickly discovered a new fact popped into her head, she was leaving Gryffindor to be married. An alliance had been formed with Gryffindor's neighbouring kingdom, Slytherin, and Hermione was to be married to their king. The alliance was to prevent war from breaking out between the two kingdoms, relations were decidedly frosty between Gryffindor and Slytherin and a union between Hermione and the King of Slytherin was hopefully a way to bring everlasting peace to the kingdoms.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "Are you? You know you can stay here if you wish, this is your home after all."

"My place is with you." Ginny responded. "Unless of course you would rather I not accompany you."

"I really want you to come. I'll need a friendly face when we arrive in Slytherin." Hermione reassured Ginny with a smile. "I just don't want you to drag you away from your life. What about Sir Harry, I thought you were involved with him?"

"I am, but it's nothing serious." Ginny shrugged. "Besides, I'm sure Slytherin has some cute knights."

Hermione chuckled softly at Ginny's words. From her memories in this life Hermione knew her handmaiden was always up for a good time with the knights and over the course of the last few years she had bedded a few of them. Hermione was initially surprised that she had cast Ginny in such a promiscuous role but the more she thought about it the more apt it seemed, before Harry her friend had dated a few boys and even now she was with him she wasn't opposed to eyeing up good looking boys.

Another knock on the door interrupted the girl's conversation. This time Ginny walked over to the doors and opened them, revealing Ron standing in the doorway wearing a full set of armour and a red cloak with a gold lion emblem on it.

"The King and Queen are waiting for you, My Lady." Sir Ron announced.

"Thank you, Sir Ron." Hermione nodded at the knight as she turned and grabbed a red cloak that was sitting nearby.

After putting the cloak on Hermione took one final look around the room before she followed Ron from the room. Ron led the way from Princess Hermione's chambers, through the stone corridors, while Ginny and Hermione walked slightly behind him.

"Are you going to miss Sir Ron?" Ginny whispered, making sure the knight in front of her didn't hear. "After all he has been your personal protector for nearly five years."

"I'll miss him as a friend, as I will all the knights." Hermione responded. "But I won't miss the fact he's clearly in love with me and I can't find a way to let him down without hurting his feelings. Maybe my leaving will allow him to move on and find a nice girl he can settle down with."

"Maybe." Ginny said, although her tone displayed her lack of conviction.

Hermione sighed as they continued to follow Ron out to the courtyard. It seemed that in both her real life and the story that she was facing the same problems with Ron. Hermione knew Ron was in love with her and for years she had ignored the fact, hoping he would move on and find someone who wanted him. She'd never actually confronted Ron about his feelings as she hadn't wanted to risk losing his friendship and looked like Princess Hermione was having the same dilemma with Sir Ron.

Hermione forgot all about her problems with Ron as they left the castle and descended into the courtyard. Standing beside the royal carriage was Harry, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas. Like Ron they were dressed as knights and Hermione suddenly had the knowledge that they were the five best knight in the kingdom and were the King's most trusted men. Hermione also had the knowledge that Princess Hermione had grown up with all five men and like Ginny, they were her friend's.

The knights all greeted Hermione with a little bow and a smile before returning to their duties. Hermione watched as the knights set about making the final preparations for the trip. Ginny joined the men, laughing and joking with them as she prepared her own horse, while Hermione watched her friends. Princess Hermione had wanted to ride with her friends on the journey but the king had insisted that she travel in the carriage, while Hermione knew this she still had no picture of the king in her head.

"Hermione, it's nearly time we were off. We need to get in the carriage."

Hermione turned round at the voice and found herself face to face with Albus Dumbledore, King of Gryffindor and Princess Hermione's father. At his side was the Queen, Minerva McGonagall. Hermione inwardly chuckled at the thought of the headmaster and her head of house being King and Queen of Gryffindor and her parents in the story. Despite knowing the two of them in real life Hermione also now had a head full of memories of King Albus and Queen Minerva.

"Come along dear, get aboard." The Queen smiled at Hermione, gesturing to the carriage.

Casting a quick glance at her friends Hermione did as she was told and boarded the carriage. Minutes later Queen Minerva joined her, followed by King Albus and shortly after that the party set off towards the kingdom of Slytherin. While Hermione sat on one side of the carriage the King and Queen sat on the other side, talking quietly to each other.

Hermione watched the beautiful scenery as they rode to Slytherin, after leaving the castle and the main part of Gryffindor behind they entered open country. Lush green fields and rolling hills passed by the window, making Hermione wish she was riding outside with her friends. Hermione knew that as a Princess she rode every day and was hoping to be able to continue the pastime when she arrived at her new home in Slytherin.

Thinking of her new home got Hermione wondering who she was going off to marry. Because he hadn't entered the story yet the King of Slytherin had no name and no identity in her head, he was merely the King. The thought of getting married was also a worrying one for Hermione and she was wishing she hadn't rushed into the immersion part of the book without checking the plot line more thoroughly. All Hermione knew about the story was that a queen fell in love with a knight and they embarked upon a passionate affair. Since Hermione wasn't a queen yet she figured the affair was with a knight in the kingdom of Slytherin, which caused her to worry some more.

Judging from the way she had cast everyone so far Hermione figured that the male lead in the story would be a Slytherin and she was also heading off to marry a Slytherin. For nearly an hour Hermione thought about who she wanted to be her leading man and despite her reservations there was only one person in her thoughts, Draco Malfoy. As much as Hermione had been trying to deny it since returning to school, she had somehow developed a slight crush on her fellow head student. While a big part of Hermione was hoping that Draco would be her leading man a part of her was hoping he wasn't, if he was she really didn't think she would be able to face him after experiencing some of the hotter scenes she was expecting to be present in the story.

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted as the carriage stopped for a short break. Getting out and stretching her legs Hermione had a quick chat with Ginny before heading back inside the carriage. When they got under way again King Albus announced they would only be travelling for another hour or so before reaching Slytherin.

It was just over an hour and a half before Hermione spotted the citadel of Slytherin. Taking a good look at their surroundings as they neared the royal castle Hermione decided that the kingdom of Slytherin was just as beautiful as the kingdom of Gryffindor. Looking at the rapidly approaching castle Hermione realised the stones that built it were darker but it looked to have far more windows than the castle she had left behind a few hours ago.

Pulling up outside the castle Hermione noticed the stairway to the main entrance was lined with the knights of Slytherin. Hermione smiled to herself as she noticed the knights cloaks were emerald green with an emblem of a silver snake on them, clearly the house symbols and colours represented the kingdoms bearing the same name.

When the carriage door was opened King Albus and Queen Minerva alighted first and Hermione followed them, standing slightly behind them and off to the side. As the knights of Gryffindor stood alongside their royal family the front doors of the castle opened and five knights emerged and walked down the stairs. Hermione immediately identified the knights as Draco, Blaise Zabini, Theo Nott, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Reaching the foot of the steps the knights stepped aside, revealing their king.

"Severus, it's good to see you." King Albus stepped forward and greeted his fellow King.

At the sight of her potions Professor as the King of Slytherin, Hermione wanted to turn and run, but the story's reactions took precedent over her inner turmoil and she remained standing where she was. Hermione was mentally cursing herself for not reading the book before immersing herself in it. Now she was stuck having to marry Severus Snape and there was nothing she could do about it.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione was still horrified by the identity of the King of Slytherin as King Albus turned and introduced Queen Minerva to King Severus. When they then turned to her, Hermione found herself smiling politely, even though all she wanted to do was end the spell and go and kill Draco for taunting her into immersing herself without checking out the story first. The main love story might have been between a queen and a knight but that didn't mean the queen wasn't also sleeping with the king, and if that was the case Hermione was going to end up severely traumatised.

"I'm sure you remember my daughter, Hermione." King Albus said to King Severus.

Hermione thought the introduction was very odd, her memories of the Princesses life showed that she had met King Severus on a few occasions. While their marriage was clearly a political one they had still spoken to one another before now.

"Of course." King Severus nodded. "I'm very pleased you're here Princess Hermione."

Before she knew what was happening Hermione found her hand being taken by King Severus and he pressed his cold lips to the back of it. The action made Hermione want to shudder, it was so wrong for her Professor to be kissing her and she could only hope kissing on the hand would be as much as she would experience.

"I'm very pleased to be here sire." Hermione responded as her hand was released.

"Severus, let me introduce my top men." King Albus interrupted, taking the other king over to meet his knights.

After the Knights of Gryffindor had been introduced to King Severus he turned to his own men and began the introductions. He started with Sir Gregory and after greeting the King the knight turned to the Queen and then Hermione. Once again Hermione found her hand being kissed by someone she would rather not have touching her. Sir Vincent was next and by this point Hermione just wanted to snatch her hand away and rid herself of the memories of first Snape then Crabbe and Goyle kissing her. The next knights were Sir Blaise and Sir Theodore and Hermione found she wasn't as repulsed when either of them smiled politely at her and kissed her hand.

"And this is my head knight, Sir Draco." King Severus announced, making the final introduction.

After the King and Queen had been introduced to Sir Draco it was Hermione's turn. The second she locked eyes with the blond knight, Hermione felt butterflies in her stomach, although she was unsure if that was her reaction or Princess Hermione's. When Sir Draco took her hand and placed a gentle kiss on it he kept his silvery grey eyes on her the entire time and Hermione could feel the spark between them. By the time she pulled away she was almost certain that Sir Draco would be the knight she would be having a torrid affair with.

"How are the wedding preparations coming on?" King Albus asked, once the introductions were over.

"Excellent, the ceremony will take place at twilight." King Severus replied. "I have some chambers set up for you all if you want to freshen up and prepare for the nights festivities."

As King Severus summoned some servants Hermione began to worry about what was going to happen later that day. A wedding ceremony would be bad enough but she really didn't want to think about a wedding night. Still lost in thought she mindlessly accompanied Ginny and Queen Minerva to the chambers some servants were ushering them to.

**::::::::::::::::::::::**

Hermione barely had a chance to notice the chambers they had entered before the scene faded away and another one took it place. Instead of standing in the entrance to some chambers Hermione found herself sitting in a crowded ballroom. A quick glance around indicated it was the wedding feast and a look down at her beautiful ivory gown confirmed Hermione's thought.

Wondering what had happened Hermione searched her memories and found she had spent time in the chambers getting ready before a wedding ceremony had taken place. Hermione figured that the story must have skipped forward a few hours, hence she had also skipped forward with it, only she had the memories of what she hadn't experienced. Hermione was thrilled she hadn't experienced marrying Snape, yes she remembered it but she was planning on burying that memory as deep in her head as it would go and never think about it again. Hermione reckoned the time jumps would keep happening throughout the story, after all no book described every single minute of every single day. Personally Hermione thought it was quite a good idea, while she wouldn't experience every little thing she would still remember the memories so she wouldn't be lost with what was going on.

Once Hermione figured out what was happening she took a good look at her surroundings. The large room they were in was decorated with loads of flowers and silver drapes and hangings. On the opposite side of the room to where Hermione was sitting there was a group of musicians playing music. There was a large space in the centre of the room where several couples were dancing and three long tables were set up around the room. There were also several dozen servants milling around, tending to the guests every need.

Hermione was sitting at the head table, next to King Severus. King Albus was sitting next to him and the two kings were quietly discussing their kingdoms. Queen Minerva was sitting on the other side of King Albus, watching the younger couples twirling around the floor. There were a few other people sitting at the top table, albeit slightly further from the royalty in the centre, but Hermione wasn't sure who they were. She figured they were important people in the court but at this precise moment she wasn't going to worry about finding out who they were, she was sure over time she would get to know who everyone was.

Hermione's eyes continued to wander around the room, until she spotted a group of knights sitting at the table to her right. The five Gryffindor knights were sitting with the five Slytherin knights. There were some other knights wandering about the room but it was that particular group that grabbed her attention. Apart from Sir Ron, who was sitting with a miserable look on his face, the rest looked to be getting along splendidly and having fun. Hermione figured Ron was miserable because she was married and would be living in a different kingdom, meaning his feelings for her would forever remain unrequited.

As Hermione watched the group of knights Sir Draco lifted his head and his piercing grey eyes found her soft brown ones. Hermione found she couldn't tear her eyes away from the sexy knight and the two merely stared at each other. If she'd been unsure of the origin of the attraction when they had met Hermione was now in no doubt that it was her character in the story that was attracted to Sir Draco, although her own underlining attraction to the blond was simmering under the surface adding to the torrent of feelings brewing inside her. It wasn't until Sir Blaise spoke to him that Draco tore his gaze away from the new Queen. Hermione quickly looked down at her goblet of wine, hoping no-one had witnessed the interaction between her and Draco.

Steadfastly ignoring the nearby knights Hermione turned her attention to the conversation that was happening between the two kings. Earlier they had been talking quietly but over the last minute or so their voices had raised to a normal level and Hermione was sure she had heard her own name mentioned.

"Before we leave in the morning I'd like to discuss Hermione's security." King Albus said. "I take it you're going to provide the protection I asked for."

Hermione rummaged through her memories to find an agreement was in place between the two kings regarding her safety. Even back in the safety of Gryffindor her security had always been a top priority and she had her own personal protector of a knight in Sir Ron. Hermione knew that King Albus was worried that in the rival kingdom she wouldn't be as safe as she was at home and that he had made King Severus promise to protect her to the best of his ability.

"Of course." King Severus nodded in response. "I'm putting Sir Draco in charge of the Queen's security. I promise your daughter will not leave the safety of the castle without Sir Draco at her side."

As the two kings discussed the plan and King Albus requested a meeting with the knight that would be protecting his daughter, Hermione zoned out again. With Draco constantly at her side Hermione could easily see how an affair could take place, she just wished she had read the book so she knew what to expect. So far she'd experienced one day in the story and her head hurt as she tried to work out what could happen from the little knowledge she had of the story. This whole experience would have been much more soothing if Hermione knew what was going to happen and if she was going to get a happy ending.

Hermione was brought out of her thoughts by King Albus and Queen Minerva announcing they were retiring for the night. After saying goodnight to the couple Hermione was left alone with her new husband. All Hermione felt was nervous and awkward so she figured that her character in the story was just as worried about what would happen next as she was, although at least Queen Hermione wasn't worried about having the experience of sleeping with her Professor.

"Would you like me to walk you to your chambers?" King Severus asked, rising from his chair and offering his hand to Hermione.

"Thank you." Hermione nodded as she took the proffered hand and stood up.

As soon as she was standing Hermione removed her hand from the King's grip. As the royal couple left the hall Hermione stared straight ahead, she could feel people looking at them and while her instinct was to glare at them until they stopped being so rude Queen Hermione's upbringing meant she ignored the stares aimed in her direction. Hermione figured her royal self was used to being the focus of people's attention and the stares were something that came with being royalty.

The further behind them the noise and festivities coming from the hall got, the more nervous Hermione was becoming. By the time King Severus headed up a twisting flight of stairs, walked down a long corridor and stopped outside a wooden door, Hermione's heart was pounding and her mouth was dry. She'd been hoping the wedding night would be something she wouldn't have to experience first-hand but the further they were going the more worried Hermione was becoming.

"These are your chambers." King Severus announced as he unlocked the doors and swung them open, before handing Hermione the key. "If you wish to redecorate let me know and I can arrange it."

Hermione stepped into the room and looked around in awe. The room was ten times bigger than the one she had left behind in Gryffindor and it looked ten times more luxurious. The furniture was bigger and more comfortable looking, there was a soft looking rug in front of the fire and the four poster bed was massive and covered in a silk, emerald green cover and dozens of cushions.

"It's beautiful." Hermione said, turning to her king and offering him a small smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The King nodded. "A Queen needs satisfactory bedchambers. If there's anything you're missing don't hesitate to ask."

"I doubt there will be anything missing." Hermione said as she continued to look around the room.

"Before I leave, we need to discuss your duties as Queen." King Severus coughed nervously before continuing. "Obviously you're expected to attend any official functions, feasts and visits. Unless one of us is away I expect to dine together on an evening but apart from that your time is your own."

"What about my duties as a wife?" Hermione asked. She couldn't believe she had just asked such a direct question, clearly Queen Hermione was pretty forthright and didn't believe in skirting around an issue.

"There will be none." King Severus replied, looking very uncomfortable with the way the conversation had headed. "Your duties are as a Queen and only a Queen. I assure you I won't be bothering you as a husband. My chambers are over the other side of the castle and I see no reason why we need ever visit each other's living quarters, anything we have to discuss can take place in the communal areas."

Hermione nodded politely as she internally breathed a huge sigh of relief. She could sense her royal self was also relived by the news but it was nothing compared to the joy Hermione felt. She was just thrilled that she wouldn't be doing anything inappropriate with Snape, being married to him was awkward enough but at least she didn't have to worry about having memories of being intimate with him.

"I should be leaving." King Severus announced. "Good night, Hermione."

"Goodnight, sire." Hermione bid the king goodnight before he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Relieved by what had just transpired Hermione headed towards the bedroom part of the chambers. She was assuming that Ginny wouldn't be coming to help her get ready for bed but Hermione already knew that her royal self was pretty independent and her maid had less duties than other girls in her position. After finding her nightwear Hermione began getting ready for bed, wondering what the rest of the story would bring.


	5. Chapter 5

After settling into bed on her first night in Slytherin, Hermione found something odd happened. She began experiencing flashes of events, starting with seeing the party of Gryffindors back to their own kingdom. In these flashes she experienced several formal occasions, including visits from King Filius of Ravenclaw and Queen Pomona of Hufflepuff, and general settling into her new home.

After what felt like a good few hours' worth of flashes Hermione found herself back in her chambers, only she was dressed in a comfortable lightweight dress and it was clearly daytime. As she expertly pinned her hair back Hermione used the time to get her memories and experiences straight in her head. She was guessing the particular part of the story she had just experienced had just been a quick summary of Queen Hermione's first few weeks in Slytherin.

Getting everything in order Hermione soon discovered she had been Queen for three months. Despite only experiencing flashes of those three months Hermione had a perfect recollection of everything that had occurred since her wedding to King Severus. She knew that for weeks after the event they played host to several visiting parties who wished to congratulate the royal couple. She also knew that on a whole the kingdom didn't like the fact she was Queen, in fact several of the ladies of the court had made their dislike of her perfectly clear. Queen Hermione wasn't bothered by this in the slightest and apart from when she did her royal duties she spent her time either with Ginny or Sir Draco.

Thoughts of the blond knight had Hermione scanning her memories of him, which was easy as he was the most dominant person in them. At every formal occasion the blond was there, lurking in the background and Hermione was always aware of his presence. Away from the formal occasions Hermione discovered that she and Sir Draco had struck up a solid friendship and they spent quite a few hours a day together. Hermione also discovered the attraction was still ever present, in fact it even seemed to have intensified as just thinking about him made her breathless and caused her heartbeat to speed up.

When Hermione finished pinning her hair back she got up and wandered over to a nearby window. The window overlooked the courtyard and as she looked down she spotted Sir Draco bringing two horses round to in front of the castle entrance. As Hermione watched Ginny appeared and after speaking briefly to Sir Draco she handed him a basket and a rolled up blanket before she headed indoors. Once again Hermione searched her thoughts and discovered that earlier that morning she had sent Ginny to arrange for a picnic to be made up. With all the settling in and extra visits from neighbouring kingdoms Hermione hadn't yet had a chance to go for a decent ride and that was what she was planning on doing right now.

Hermione herself hadn't actually ridden a horse before but Queen Hermione was an expert rider so she knew the ride would pass smoothly. Hermione smiled to herself as she unearthed the memory of Queen Hermione choosing her horse a few days after arriving in the kingdom. Sir Draco had been the one in the stable with her, advising her on which horse she should claim as her own. Eventually she had settled on a grey horse that according to Sir Draco was fast but had a gentle nature.

Hermione turned away from the window as Ginny knocked on the door, before entering. Ginny smiled at her mistress as Hermione picked up her cloak that was lying nearby.

"Sir Draco is waiting for you." Ginny informed Hermione.

"Thank you Ginny." Hermione smiled at her friend and handmaiden. "You can take the afternoon off if you wish. I'm planning on a long ride so I'll not be needing you this afternoon."

"Thank you." Ginny smiled broadly at the news. "Sir Blaise has offered to show me a nearby market, I can now take him up on the offer."

"Sir Blaise?" Hermione raised an eyebrow questionably. "I thought it was Sir Theodore helping you settle in."

"Sir Theodore has been perfectly nice since we moved here, but we're just friends." Ginny explained.

"And Sir Blaise?"

"We might be more." Ginny blushed as she ducked her head. "We just have to wait and see."

"Have fun." Hermione smirked as the two women exited the chambers and went their separate ways.

Once again Hermione searched her memories and discovered that for the first couple of months after their arrival Ginny had been getting cosy with Sir Theodore. Hermione couldn't find any memories of Ginny and Sir Blaise so she figured her latest romance was a fairly new one. Despite earlier seeing why the spell had cast Ginny as her maid Hermione was now uncertain of the accuracy of the spell, sure the Ginny she knew liked to eye up boys but she wouldn't go through men at the rate the Ginny in this story clearly did, at least she hoped she didn't.

As Hermione stepped into the sunny courtyard all thoughts of Ginny and her role in the story vanished. As she walked down the stone stairs all of Hermione's focus was on the blond knight waiting for her at the bottom of them. Because they were going out for a ride he wasn't wearing his armour, he was dressed simply in a dark green shirt and dark trousers and boots, although his sword was strapped to his horse in case of emergencies.

"Good morning, My Lady." Draco dipped his head in greeting as Hermione reached him.

"Good morning, Sir Draco." Hermione smiled at the knight. "I hope you didn't mind that I suggested we had a long ride today. I think it's time I explored this kingdom a bit more."

"I don't mind in the slightest. We can do whatever you desire." Draco replied.

Hermione shivered at the words as she suddenly became aware of what Queen Hermione was intending to do that day. Hermione was becoming increasingly surprised by what her royal counterpart was like, she certainly wasn't the timid little wallflower that a lot of medieval Queens were portrayed as. While Queen Hermione was the perfect lady and always behaved impeccably in public she was also pretty determined and knew what she wanted, and right now it looked like she wanted Sir Draco.

"Shall we be off then?" Hermione suggested, walking towards her horse.

Like the chivalrous knight he was Draco helped Hermione onto her horse before he mounted his own. Together the Queen and her Knight slowly left the citadel, heading into the nearby countryside. Once they were in the open they picked up the pace and the two horses galloped through the fields.

After nearly an hour of riding through the lush, green countryside Hermione and Draco decided to stop for a rest. Draco directed them to a nearby river where the horses could get a drink as they rested. Once they had stopped Draco dealt with the horses while Hermione spread the blanket on the riverside and grabbed the picnic basket.

"You're a very unusual queen." Draco commented as he returned from tethering the horses to a tree where they could still have a drink.

Hermione laughed softly at the comment, in public he would never dream of addressing her so informally but when they were alone they were friendly and treated each other like equals.

"How so?" She asked as he settled down on the blanket beside her.

"Most queens don't have picnics with their knights and if they do they certainly don't set it up themselves."

"I like my independence." Hermione shrugged. "Just because I was born into royalty doesn't mean I can't look after myself."

"That's what I mean." Draco chuckled. "I've never met another person of royal descent that thinks that way."

"Do you not like it?" Hermione asked, tilting her head and looking at Draco. "Would you rather I was like the other boring, stuck up royalty?"

"No." Draco shook his head. "I like you just the way you are."

The Queen smiled and edged closer to Draco, Hermione knew exactly what the Queen was going to do but she was still surprised by her brazen attitude. "How much do you like me?" She asked.

Draco swallowed as he tried to respond and Hermione smiled as she noticed his eyes trail down to her chest. Like all of the Queen's attire her dress was tight fitting and highlighted her impressive cleavage. Hermione had also noticed that as she moved closer to Draco she had positioned herself so the knight had a perfect view of her assets.

"Am I to take your silence to mean you don't like me?" Hermione pouted.

"You know I like you." Draco responded in a rough voice.

"Do you like me enough to give me something I've wanted since the minute I met you?" Hermione reached out and placed her hand on Draco's chest as she spoke.

"What is it you want?" Draco asked.

Hermione smiled before leaning over so she was right in front of Draco. "You." She replied simply, before pressing her lips against his.

At first Hermione figured the Queen was about to be rejected as Draco stiffened the second their lips connected. Queen Hermione however was a very determined woman and she continued to kiss her handsome knight until he slowly began to respond. As Draco began kissing her back and even exerting some control over the kiss Hermione wondered if the real Draco was as good a kisser as Sir Draco. When Draco took full control of the kiss, plunging his tongue into her mouth and exploring it thoroughly, Hermione forgot about comparing him to the real thing and just let herself enjoy the experience. Unfortunately the experience ended all too quickly with the Queen and her Knight separating for air.

"What about the King?" Draco asked, once he had recovered from the kiss.

"The King won't touch me." Hermione replied. She knew the Queen was just as relived as she was about that, albeit for different reasons. Queen Hermione was pleased she didn't have to deal with her husband as she didn't love him and was drawn to his top knight while Hermione was pleased she wouldn't have any intimate memories of her Potions Professor, the memories of him she did have was more than enough to make sure she wouldn't be able to look him in the eye for the rest of the year.

"That doesn't mean I should." Draco argued.

"Please." Hermione sat up slightly and toyed with the lace ribbon that fastened the top half of her gown together. "I can order you if that makes you feel better."

"How would that make me feel better?" Draco questioned, a puzzled look appearing on his face.

"If I ordered you to do it you might feel less guilty." Hermione reasoned. "Although I was hoping you wanted me as much as I want you."

"I do want you." Draco admitted, as his hand cupped the Queen's cheek and his thumb stroked her soft skin.

"Then take me." Hermione whispered.

Hermione watched the conflicting emotions flicker across Draco's face. It was clear the knight wanted the Queen but it was also clear he didn't want to betray the King. Hermione knew the instant he decided he would give the Queen what she wanted, his grey eyes darkened slightly and scanned her body while his tongue flicked out to wet his lips.

The Queen part of Hermione also noticed when he surrendered to his passion as she gave him a seductive smile before she began pulling at the lace that bound her top. Hermione slowly but surely loosened her top, watching Draco's reaction as she revealed herself to his eyes. The blond watched intently as Hermione opened her dress, his grey eyes taking in every inch of her creamy skin.

When Hermione had fully unlaced her top Draco leant forward and pressed his lips against hers. Hermione lost herself in the experience of kissing Draco, she doubted it would ever happen in her real life so she planned on making the most of her immersion story. Hermione was so lost in the kiss she hadn't noticed Draco's hands had moved until he pulled her dress off her shoulders, exposing her breasts fully.

When Draco's hand cupped her breast, his thumb brushing gently against her nipple, Hermione moaned loudly and broke the kiss. Looking into Draco's grey eyes Hermione clearly saw the question in them, he wanted to know this was definitely what she wanted. Both Hermione herself and Queen Hermione wanted Draco badly so she wriggled her arms free of her dress and lay back onto the blanket, beckoning for her lover to follow her.

Draco did as Hermione wanted and followed the Queen down onto the blanket. As he connected their lips again his left hand returned to her breast while his right slowly made its way down her body and under her skirt. Hermione moaned at the duel sensations of Draco's breath-taking kissing, his hand gently massaging her breast and his other hand stroking the skin of her inner thigh.

When Draco began trailing kisses along her neck and collarbone Hermione took the opportunity to explore Draco's body, snaking her hand under his shirt she felt his defined muscles. When her hand crept lower and brushed against the bulge in his trousers Hermione couldn't help but smile as he hissed at the feeling and bucked his hips at her.

Tilting her head so she was looking at the man on top of her, Hermione smiled. "Take it off." She said, tugging on his top.

Draco grinned before he sat up and pulled his top off and threw it onto the grass beside him. "Anything else you want removing, My Lady?" He asked cheekily.

Hermione eyed up the half-naked knight and nodded, gesturing to his trousers. Totally unembarrassed Draco stood up and pulled off his trousers, revealing the full extent of his arousal to Hermione. Hermione blushed at the sight and her first thought was Draco was right, she didn't think she could cope with these sort of scenes. Queen Hermione however wasn't as shy as she began removing her dress fully, leaving her lying in a pair of white, silk undergarments.

Hermione was still totally flustered by the whole experience as Draco settled back onto the blanket next to her. She expected him to get back on top of her and resume the kissing of earlier but instead he propped himself up next to her and just looked at her. Hermione wanted to ask what he was doing but since she had no control over what was said or done in the story she just had to wait for his next move. His next move came a minute later when he reached out and cupped her right breast, after giving it some attention he turned to the other one and stroked and caressed that one as well. His hand then slowly trailed down her firm stomach and came to rest on her silky underwear.

"Take them off." Hermione instructed. Once again the Queen's brazenness surprised Hermione, she definitely wasn't expecting the leading lady in the story to be so forthright and bossy.

When Draco slipped the underwear down her legs Hermione felt the urge to cover herself up. She'd never been this exposed in front of someone before and while she knew it wasn't her real body she had discovered that it looked exactly like hers and it certainly felt like hers. Queen Hermione however seemed to feel no such urge and she lay quite content as Draco's fingers began to trail back up her legs.

As his hand came to rest on Hermione's stomach Draco leant over and kissed her again. The kiss was more passion filled than the previous kisses and Hermione pulled Draco closer to her. As the kissing intensified hands began to wander, Hermione felt one of her hands trail down Draco's back onto his backside while she felt his hand that had been resting on her stomach travel further south. At the feeling of his fingers in between her legs Hermione groaned and bucked her hips up towards Draco.

The feelings Draco was creating in the Queen's body was a new experience for Hermione and while her reaction was to shy away from his touch the queen relished it and pressed closer to him. When Draco moved so he was hovering over her, Hermione felt a wave of apprehension at what was about to happen. Hermione's apprehension was overpowered by the Queen's anticipation however and she lifted her head and kissed Draco as he slowly entered her.

Hermione was surprised by how gentle Draco was, after the passion filled kissing and touching of the last few minutes she expected their encounter to be frenzied. However, it was anything but frenzied as Draco tenderly kissed the Queen as he set a slow and steady pace to their lovemaking. As Draco moved inside her, creating all sorts of feelings of pleasure, Hermione stared into his eyes which had never left hers since the moment he entered her.

Despite not knowing what was going to happen in the story Hermione knew there and then it would ultimately be a love story. While she had little doubt that Queen Hermione and Sir Draco had plenty of passion between them and things would get steamier between them she also knew there was a deeper connection between them and it would take very little for their feelings to blossom into true love.

All this ran through Hermione's mind as Draco gently made love to the Queen, but she was brought back to what was happening when he dipped his head and kissed her deeply. Hermione responded eagerly to the kiss, tangling her hands in his hair and pulling him closer as their tongues swirled against each other.

"I need more." Hermione gasped as she broke the kiss and arched up towards Draco.

"Whatever you say, your majesty." Draco grinned down at Hermione before picking up the pace of his actions.

Hermione moaned and gripped onto Draco's shoulders as he began thrusting faster and harder into her. Hermione was becoming overwhelmed by the feelings Draco was creating but the Queen kept begging her lover for more, which he happily obliged. As the two naked bodies writhed together by the river the action was becoming more frantic and fast paced, it was actually becoming much more like the encounter Hermione had been expecting.

Just as Hermione didn't think she could cope with any more, Draco's hand travelled back in between her legs. As his fingers stroked her expertly, combined with the frantic thrusting inside her, Hermione hit her climax. Hermione's body convulsed around Draco and he continued his actions for a few seconds before hitting his own climax. Totally exhausted the couple collapsed back onto the blanket, limbs still entangled with one another.


	6. Chapter 6

Once they'd recovered from their activities Hermione pulled on her underwear and Draco's shirt while Draco pulled on his trousers. The couple then spent the next hour or so lying on the blanket, eating their picnic and talking. There was also a bit of physical interaction as the couple shared several more kisses and caresses. Hermione was surprised that they remained out in the open half-dressed where anyone could come across them. Neither Queen Hermione nor Sir Draco didn't seem bothered by the prospect though so Hermione forgot about the worries of getting caught and just enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.

Hermione was lying on her side, her hand tracing patterns on Draco's torso, when he announced they should be getting back. He sounded as disappointed as Hermione felt and the couple shared a sad smile before they reluctantly got up off the blanket.

While Draco packed away the picnic and blanket Hermione stripped off his top and began getting back into her dress. She was halfway through tying the intricate laces of the bodice when a pair of strong arms wrapped round her waist and Draco dropped a kiss onto her bare shoulder.

"I had fun this afternoon." He whispered in Hermione's ear.

Hermione smiled and turned round in his arms. "So did I." She told him before reaching up and giving him a quick kiss.

When they separated again Hermione finished dressing before they mounted their horses and set back towards the castle. The journey back was slower as neither of them were in too big of a hurry to return to the castle and have to go back to being nothing more than a Queen and a Knight. The closer they got to the castle the less they were talking and by the time they entered the courtyard they hadn't spoken in nearly fifteen minutes.

As they brought the horses to a halt in front of the castle steps Hermione was dismayed to see King Severus walking down them. Draco also looked less than happy to see the King and his posture stiffened at the sight of him.

"Did you enjoy your ride?" He asked, moving to the side of Hermione's horse and helping her down.

"Yes." Hermione replied, extraditing herself from the King's grip as soon as she could. "The kingdom in lovely."

"Good, I'm pleased you like it." King Severus nodded. "Is Sir Draco keeping you entertained?"

"Yes, he's been very welcoming." Hermione snuck a look at the knight and found he looked distinctly uneasy.

King Severus smiled at his favourite knight and Hermione was hit with a pang of guilt that she knew came from the Queen. Hermione was beginning to find she was slowly becoming more in tune with what her royal counterpart was feeling and thinking and it was easy for her to concentrate on the Queen's inner turmoil. Queen Hermione was feeling guilty for seducing Sir Draco. While she felt slightly guilty for betraying King Severus she could cope with it because he meant nothing to her and she meant nothing to him, whereas Sir Draco was his top knight and there was clearly a lot of respect between the two men.

"I should be getting the horses back to the stable." Draco announced, clearly eager to be far away from the King.

Hermione watched in dismay as Draco turned and hurried away with the horses. She'd been so intent on getting what she wanted that she hadn't given any thought to the consequences of her actions. While she might be able to live with the guilt of what they had done and what she had been hoping they would continue doing, she wasn't sure if Draco could do the same.

Once Draco was out of sight Hermione excused herself and headed back into the castle. Her mind full of Draco and the afternoon they had spent together, Hermione went straight to her bedchambers. When she arrived in her room Ginny was waiting for her and she had no time to think as her maid immediately began gossiping about her afternoon.

**:::::::::::::::**

When the scene of Ginny gossiping about Sir Blaise faded, Hermione was initially relieved. As much as she loved her friend, both in reality and in the story, she wasn't in the mood to listen to her lovesick ramblings. Hermione's relief at the scene change was short lived as her new surroundings came into focus and she found herself sitting opposite King Severus as dinner was served.

This was the first time Hermione had actually experienced dinner with the King but her memories told her that they normally dragged on, with little conversation from either of them. Hermione knew that King Severus had little time for Queen Hermione, he wasn't interested in her opinions on anything and had only married her to avoid a war with Gryffindor.

As dinner was ate in silence Queen Hermione used the time to contemplate her afternoon with Draco. The lovemaking had been every bit as exquisite as she had hoped for and the connection she shared with the handsome knight only seemed to grow deeper with each passing minute. Despite that there was the problem with the King that she hadn't really thought about before now. Three months living in the kingdom of Slytherin was enough for her to know that while King Severus was a cold man he did seem to care about his knights, Sir Draco in particular. The feeling seemed to be mutual on Draco's part as normally the knight was fiercely loyal to the King.

Hermione wasn't sure why Draco had decided to give in to his feelings for her that afternoon but she had a feeling he would be regretting it by now. As much as she wanted more than one afternoon with the gorgeous knight Hermione was beginning to realise that she would have to bring their illicit activities to an end. It wasn't fair to ask Sir Draco to betray his King and she cared about him too much to put him in that position again.

As Queen Hermione made the decision to end her affair with Sir Draco before things progressed any further Hermione doubted it would work. Hermione seriously doubted that a book that boasted an affair between a Queen and a Knight would only feature one encounter between them. While the story was a love story it was also an adult book and Hermione was expecting plenty more racy scenes. If she was being honest with herself she was actually looking forward to more, she had been quite embarrassed by what had happened but she couldn't deny the feelings of pleasure was well worth the embarrassment.

"You're quiet tonight. Is everything okay?"

Hermione snapped her head up at King Severus's question. She found him studying her intently and she suddenly worried he was going to start taking an interest in how she spent her time.

"Everything's fine." Hermione attempted to smile but at the sceptical look on the King's face she failed miserably. "I'm just a bit home sick." She lied, thinking of a reason she could be so withdrawn.

"That's only to be expected." King Severus nodded, satisfied with the Queen's lie. "You've never been away from home before so it will take some getting used to living somewhere new."

"Yes, I suppose it will." Hermione agreed.

"Maybe we can arrange a trip back home for you." King Severus said.

"I think I'd rather wait a few months if that's okay. I want to concentrate on settling in here before I return home." Hermione replied. The Queen was worried that if she visited Gryffindor while everything was such a mess with Sir Draco then she might be tempted to stay and never return to Slytherin.

"Of course, anything you wish." King Severus nodded. "Just let me know when you wish to make the trip and I'll have Sir Draco organise everything."

Hermione smiled weakly at the King before returning to her food. The rest of the meal passed in more silence, until finally they were finished and Hermione excused herself.

Leaving the dining hall Hermione looked around the hallway for a knight. One of the good things about living in the castle was that King Severus was big on protection and you couldn't go very far without finding a knight on duty. Spotting Sir Gregory at the end of the corridor Hermione made her way towards him.

"Your majesty." Sir Gregory bowed to Hermione as she approached him.

"Sir Gregory." Hermione greeted the knight with an inclination of her head. "I want you to do me a favour. I need to speak to Sir Draco urgently, can you inform him I wish to see him in my chambers as soon as possible."

"Yes My Lady."

"Thank you."

Hermione left Sir Gregory to find Draco as she headed back to her chambers. Stepping inside the welcoming room she was confronted with Ginny, who began fussing around her.

"You can take the rest of the night off, Ginny." Hermione told her maid. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay and help you get undressed and ready for bed?" Ginny queried.

"No, I'm perfectly fine on my own." Hermione shook her head at her friend. Personally Hermione had never understood why the royalty needed so much help with dressing and undressing and apparently the royal version of herself felt the same.

"Good night My Lady." Ginny curtsied before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Instead of immediately undressing Hermione slipped off her shoes and unpinned her hair, letting it cascade down her back. For the first time since she immersed herself into the story Hermione looked at her hair, like the Queen's body it looked exactly the same as her own hair only the Queen seemed to have slightly more control over her curls and could get them to behave better than she could. Maybe by the time the story finished she would have a few tips and her own curls might be more manageable.

Walking away from the bedroom half of her chambers Hermione headed towards the fire. Despite it being summer it was still drafty in the stone castle on an evening so Ginny had lit a fire. Hermione curled up in the chair beside the fire as she stared into the flames, trying to decide what she would say when Draco arrived.

Ten minutes later Hermione still had no idea what she was going to say when there was a knock on the door. Bracing herself for the pain of what she was going to do Hermione stood up and called for Draco to enter the room.

"You wished to see me." Draco said as he entered the room. He was back to being dressed in his armour and the blank expression he wore reminded Hermione of the Draco she knew outside of the story, he often wore a similar expression making it incredibly hard to work out what he was thinking or feeling.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "We need to talk. Or rather I need to apologise."

"What are you apologising for?" Draco asked, a puzzled expression taking the place of his blank one.

"This afternoon, I shouldn't have pushed you into doing what we did."

"You didn't push me, I knew exactly what I was doing." Draco argued.

Hermione sighed as she stepped closer to Draco, only stopping when she was standing directly in front of him. "I still shouldn't have taken advantage. I never once thought of your loyalty to the King and the position I was putting you in. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about." Draco said. "I knew what I was doing and yet I still did it. I knew I was betraying the King and the truth is I would do it again in a heartbeat."

Hermione looked at Draco and she felt the Queen struggling to stay strong and not cave in and turn her back on her decision. If it had been up to Hermione she would have kissed Draco there and then but her royal counterpart had more self-control as she fought against her attraction to the blond knight.

"I'll not be putting you in that position anymore." Hermione replied quietly. "This afternoon was a one off and it won't be happening again. I won't jeopardise your position in court for my own selfish wants."

For a minute Hermione thought Draco was going to protest but he composed himself and his expression returned to neutral. Hermione guessed he was hurt by the rebuff but she also guessed he was too proud to show how much pain he was in.

"Do you require anything else My Lady?" Draco asked in a professional voice, there was no hint of the friendly banter that was present all afternoon.

"No."

"Very well, I'll get back to my duties."

Hermione watched sadly as Draco turned and left the chambers. For the last few hours Hermione had been becoming more in sync with the Queen's thoughts and feelings and at the minute she couldn't distinguish the difference between her reaction and her royal counterparts. All she could feel was hurt and loss, mingled with guilt and regret. Hermione knew the Queen didn't regret her afternoon with Sir Draco, she just regretted the position she had put him in with the King. She also regretted letting him walk away without telling him that their afternoon together had been the most amazing one of her life and it would be a memory she cherished until her dying day.

Her thoughts full of Draco, Hermione slowly began the ritual of getting ready for bed. The Queen's dresses were intricate and it often took some time getting them both on and off but Hermione knew her clothing could have been a lot worse. She had seen some of the other ladies of the court wearing dresses that she knew would have required several maids to get them on and off. Undressing took nearly ten minutes and after she was washed Hermione pulled on one of the Queen's nightgowns and crawled into her large bed.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione sat by the window, watching the action down in the courtyard. It had been three weeks since her encounter with Draco by the river and those three weeks had passed by in short bursts of experiences. Those experiences were enough to tell Hermione that the close relationship between the Queen and her personal Knight was severely damaged, they now no longer addressed each other as anything other than their formal titles and they never spent any time alone together.

Hermione was now more in tune with the Queen's feelings and her sadness at the situation was overwhelming. Hermione could feel how much the Queen was being hurt by the rift and as such she was hurting. Hermione's own thoughts that they would sort things out and the affair would continue were starting to fade as she became aware that with each passing experience she was connecting deeper with the character in the story. She had a feeling that before long she would be so immersed that only a few of her own thoughts would surface over the Queen's.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Ginny's concerned voice jolted Hermione from her thoughts and she turned to find her maid standing at the window next to where she was sitting.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Hermione reassured Ginny as her friend continued to watch the action in the courtyard.

Down in the courtyard a small selection of knights, including Sir Blaise, were preparing to head up to Slytherin's most northern border. Over the last few days the castle had received reports of bandits in the woods to the north of the citadel. The bandits were thought to belong to a small kingdom, Durmstrang, a few miles away. Durmstrang was a tiny kingdom by all accounts and according to King Severus both the kingdoms of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had recently had trouble with bandits originating from there.

"You can go and say goodbye, if you want." Hermione told her maid.

"Really?" Ginny perked up at the prospect. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." Hermione smiled softly. "Go."

"Thank you My Lady." Ginny grinned at Hermione before she rushed out of the room.

Hermione stayed at the window watching the knights preparing to leave and five minutes after she left the chambers, Ginny appeared in the courtyard. With a pang of jealously Hermione watched as Ginny passionately kissed Sir Blaise before he mounted his horse. Hermione knew that if Draco had been leaving with the party she wouldn't have been able to say goodbye like that, but luckily the blond knight was staying in the citadel and Hermione didn't have to worry about him leaving on a potentially dangerous mission.

As the party of knights began to leave the courtyard Hermione turned her attention to Draco, who was standing on the steps watching them leave. As he turned to re-enter the castle he looked up at Hermione's window and the pair locked eyes. Normally a smile would pass between them but the blond knight merely looked at her sadly before turning away and entering the castle.

Turning away from the window Hermione stared at her chambers, wondering how she would pass the time. Normally she would have gone for a ride but with a contingent of knights having just left she knew Draco would be busy, besides she didn't fancy having to deal with the awkwardness that had developed between them. Ginny had even picked up on it and one of the brief things Hermione had experienced over the last three weeks had been her friend asking about the weird atmosphere between the pair of them. Hermione had brushed her friend off, claiming Sir Draco was just worried about the bandit situation. Luckily Ginny had accepted her explanation and the topic hadn't been raised since.

Hermione was still undecided about what she was going to do when Ginny returned to the chambers. While Ginny did her chores and tidied the room Hermione sat quietly in her seat by the window. When her maid had finished her work Hermione suggested a walk in the gardens and the two women left the room and headed downstairs.

**::::::::::::::::**

Hermione was walking through the gardens with Ginny when the scene around her began to fade. Getting used to the sensation Hermione patiently waited until the new scene filtered into her consciousness. When it did she was surprised to find herself still in the garden with Ginny. It was only when she looked down at herself that she realised she was wearing a different dress, she had been dressed in deep blue but she was now dressed in pale peach.

"I just can't believe we've had no word." Ginny sighed, drawing Hermione's attention towards her friend. "They've been gone a whole week and we don't know if they're alright."

"I'm sure everything is fine." Hermione responded.

She quickly realised it had been a week since Sir Blaise and his party set off for the northern borders and as yet no word had been heard from them. The whole castle had been filled with apprehension by the lack of communication and Hermione knew King Severus and Sir Draco were starting to worry and had held several meetings on the topic over the last few days. Because Ginny was so worried about Sir Blaise, Hermione hadn't informed her maid of the concern in the court, instead she had tried to keep her friend occupied.

The two women walked for a few minutes more before one of the other servants approached them. Hermione smiled inwardly as she recognised the woman as Pansy Parkinson, so far Pansy had been in the background of a few of her brief flashes and her memories but this was the first time she had interacted with her on a personal level.

"You Majesty." Pansy curtsied as she arrived at Hermione's side. "The King wishes to see you in the council chambers."

As Pansy turned and hurried off Hermione wondered about the request. The council chambers was where the King made all his important decisions about the kingdom and so far Hermione had only entered it occasionally. It hadn't taken her long to realise that King Severus was set in his ways and in his eyes the kingdom was his to rule and he didn't want any input from Hermione. Because of this Hermione was shocked to receive a summons to somewhere she always felt unwanted.

After leaving Ginny in the garden, Hermione entered the castle and made her way to the council chambers. There were two knights at the door that Hermione had never really noticed before but they bowed when she approached and opened the doors for her. Entering the room Hermione was surprised to find it empty, except for King Severus sitting at the long table. Even though she had only been in the room a few times Hermione had expected to find all of the King's advisors in the room with him, she knew that normally when he was working on his own he retired to his private chambers.

"You wished to see me, My Lord." Hermione said, announcing her presence.

"Ah yes." King Severus looked up from his paperwork. "I just want to inform you that the situation has escalated on the northern borders and I've had to send an extra group of knights to take control of the situation."

Hermione looked at the King in bewilderment, he'd never once told her about things that were happening around the kingdom before and she wasn't sure why he had started now.

"I'm informing you because Sir Draco is leading the second party." King Severus explained, seeing the Queen's confusion at his announcement. "Obviously with Sir Draco not around to protect you I would prefer it if you stayed within the castle walls. If you really need to venture further afield, I can provide a knight to accompany you but I would rather you didn't."

"I can stay in the castle." Hermione reassured the King. The truth was she wasn't interested in going anywhere with a knight that wasn't Sir Draco. "May I ask when Sir Draco and his party are leaving?" She inquired, hoping she would be able to find a minute to say goodbye to the blond knight.

"They left at dawn." The King replied. "Our information came late last night and I didn't want to disturb you."

Hermione nodded as she tried not to show how upset she was. The thought of Draco leaving without being able to say goodbye was terrible but what was worse was the fear that had gripped her. If the situation at the northern borders was so bad that the first group of knights needed reinforcements then there was a chance that Draco could be hurt, or worse killed.

After leaving the King, Hermione made her way to her chambers. She was relieved to find them empty, Ginny was either still in the garden or she was attending to some chores elsewhere. Slipping off her shoes Hermione crawled onto her bed and curled up amongst the pillows, thoughts of Draco swimming in her head.

**:::::::::::::**

Hermione went from being curled up on her bed to sitting having dinner with King Severus. For the first time since the change of scenes began, Hermione didn't have to internally work out what had happened and how much time had passed. She knew that Draco and his party had been gone for five days and in those five days they hadn't heard a word from him.

Pushing the food around on her plate, Hermione tried to stop worrying about Draco. Unfortunately no matter how much she told herself he was an extremely capable knight and knew how to take care of himself, she still worried. Trying to take her mind off the worrying, Hermione considered how much more in tune she was becoming with the Queen. Her thoughts and feelings were starting to blend together with the Queens, and if this time jump was anything to go by she was recalling events in between jumps quicker and clearer.

A loud knocking on the door disturbed Hermione's thoughts. When the King shouted for whoever it was to enter Hermione turned round expectantly, no-one ever disturbed the royal couples dinner so she was hoping it was news from the party of knights at the northern borders.

"What is it?" King Severus asked the knight who had entered the room.

"We've had word from the knights at the northern borders." The knight replied, sounding worried. "They're heading back home."

"I take it the bandits are taken care of."

"Yes, Sire." The knight nodded.

"But?" King Severus questioned the knight. "I take it from your manner there's something you're not saying."

"There's an injured knight amongst them." The knight answered. "It doesn't sound good."

"Who?" Hermione asked the question before she could stop herself, luckily the King didn't seem to notice the distress in her voice.

"The message didn't say." The knight told the Queen. "All the message said was they had a seriously injured member of the party so the return trip will be slower."

"Thank you, that'll be all." King Severus dismissed the knight before he turned back to the Queen. "Are you alright? You look quite pale."

"I'm fine." Hermione responded. She didn't even attempt a smile to reassure the King as she knew she would fail miserably. "I just always find it hard when a knight returns home from battle injured."

"It's worse when they don't return." The King muttered sending new shock waves of horror through Hermione.

Her mind had already gone into overdrive at the mention of an injured knight and she didn't need the image that whoever it was might not survive. She felt sick at the thought that the injured party might be Draco and she knew she wouldn't be able to rest until she saw him.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I'll retire for the night." Hermione said, pushing her chair back and standing up from the table.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea." King Severus said, also rising from his seat. "Let me walk you to your chambers."

Hermione wanted to protest but she didn't, instead she let the King take her arm and walk her to her chambers. Hermione knew the knights and servants they passed on the way would assume they were off to bed together, the King walked her to her rooms at least once a week and Hermione suspected it was to give the impression they were fulfilling their marital duties. Apart from Draco, whom she had told that the King wouldn't touch her, Hermione thought the rest of the castle assumed their marriage had been consummated. Even Ginny had asked her about the King's performance in the bedroom but Hermione had politely refused to answer, mainly as the question had brought up images that she could do without.

After the King dropped her off at the door Hermione entered the bedchamber. Ginny was waiting for her and as she let her maid help her get ready for bed she told her the news. Ginny had been as worried as Hermione, but whereas Hermione had to hide her concern for Draco her friend could openly worry about the knight she was involved with. After a fretting Ginny had left, Hermione lay awake worrying about Draco and what state he would be in when he returned home.


	8. Chapter 8

For the next week the time seemed to drag for Hermione. Even though the week had been experienced in little bursts of events here and there, she still felt as though she had lived through the entire seven days minute by agonising minute. Hermione was now so in tune with her royal counterpart that her own thoughts and feelings only surfaced occasionally, on a whole she was so immersed in the story that she didn't really bother trying to distinguish between her own feelings and the ones belonging to the Queen. She also never had to search her memories to find out what had happened as the memories were always fresh in her mind.

At the current moment in time Hermione was sitting in the council chambers, where the King and his advisors were discussing the running of the kingdom. Over the last week Hermione had taken to spending her days in the room as she knew when news of the returning knights arrived it would be brought straight to King Severus. King Severus hadn't opposed Hermione's presence like she initially feared he would, instead he was quite happy for his wife to be present. Hermione suspected the King allowed her presence as he knew she was worried about the safety on the knights, although she hoped he didn't know the real reason she was so worried.

Hermione had long since gotten bored of the talk around the table and had tuned out. Instead she was thinking about Draco and what would happen when he returned. Hermione was trying not to think about the fact he could be the injured knight, instead she was preferring to remain positive. Either way she was determined to fix their relationship once he returned, he was too important to her for things to continue in the awkward way they had been.

After nearly another half hour of sitting in the council chambers Hermione decided to return to her chambers. She was getting a headache and just wanted a bit of peace and quiet. After telling the King she was leaving Hermione had just stood up when the double doors flew open and a knight burst into the room.

"Sir Draco's party have been spotted." The knight gasped. "They should be here in less than an hour."

Since hearing about the group of knight's imminent return extra lookouts had been posted so the group would be spotted as soon as they were in sight of the castle. From the vantage points of the towers in the castle most of the surrounding area could be seen clearly as everyone searched for some sign of the returning knights.

"Could you make out what state they were in?" King Severus asked.

"No, they're still too far away." The knight shook his head in response.

"Right, I want everything ready for when they arrive." The King announced, springing into action as he began making preparations. "Get the physician on standby."

"Is there anything I can do?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think so." The King replied.

Leaving King Severus to get organised Hermione left the council chambers. Now she knew Draco was on his way home she intended to be there when he arrived. She also knew Ginny would want to be there to check on Sir Blaise's health so she went in search of her maid to tell her the latest news.

**::::::::::::::::::**

A little over an hour after the first sighting of the returning group Hermione was waiting with Ginny and the King on the steps of the castle. Several knights had been sent to meet the incoming party and they now knew one of the returning knights was being carried on a stretcher and was in a bad way. Unfortunately they still didn't know the identity of the man who was injured and Hermione was hoping it wasn't Draco.

The second the party entered the courtyard King Severus rushed forward to see his men while Hermione scanned the group looking for the familiar head of platinum blond hair. Because the group now consisted of the returning knights and a few knights that had gone to help it was hard to find who she was looking for. As the crowds began to part slightly Hermione spotted the stretcher, with a knight lying on it looking extremely pale. Both Hermione and Ginny breathed a huge sigh of relief when they spotted the knight was Sir Vincent.

"Get Sir Vincent to the physician this instant." King Severus's booming voice rang out over the noise in the courtyard.

As four knights, who had just rushed out from the castle, took hold of the stretcher holding Sir Vincent, Hermione got her first glimpse of the other returning knights. Sir Blaise, Sir Theodore and a couple of other knights ambled into sight, looking tired and dirty but perfectly healthy. Sir Gregory looked to be nursing a cut to the cheek and another few knights also had minor scrapes and cuts.

Continuing to scan the crowds in search of Draco, Hermione suddenly spotted a flash of blond hair at the rear of the party. Hermione audibly gasped when she spotted the handsome blond knight, his left arm was wrapped up and placed in a makeshift sling while he had a nasty gash on his head, which looked like it had been bleeding profusely.

Hermione's instincts were to run to Draco and hold him, but she composed herself and remained standing on the steps. As King Severus approached Draco, Hermione watched as her husband and former lover spoke to each other. When the King turned to address a few of the other knights Hermione managed to catch Draco's eye, the couple shared a tentative smile before the blond turned round and headed in the direction of the physician's chambers.

While Hermione watched Draco leave the courtyard, Ginny excused herself and went over to Sir Blaise. Turning her attention to her maid and her knight, Hermione was once again jealous of the embracing couple. She would have given anything to greet Draco in that way and to let him know how much she had missed him, instead she would have to try and grab a moment alone with him later.

"Come on, let's go back inside." King Severus arrived back at Hermione's side and ushered her away from the courtyard.

"How's Sir Vincent?" Hermione asked as she let the King lead her into the castle and turn towards the council chambers.

"Not good." The King sighed. "He's barely alive."

"Is everyone else all right?" Hermione questioned.

"A few scrapes and scratches, nothing too serious." King Severus replied. "I've asked Sir Draco to come and let us know what's happening once he's seen the physician."

Arriving at the council chambers the King and Hermione settled down to wait for more news. After a few minutes Ginny arrived and as she spoke quietly with Hermione, the King tried to get a bit more work done. After a while he gave up and the three of them lapsed into silence as they contemplated what was happening with the physician and his patient.

**:::::::::::::::::**

When Draco entered the council chambers, nearly three hours later, Hermione was shocked to see he still hadn't sought treatment for his wounds. When she questioned him he just shrugged, claiming the physician was too busy trying to save Sir Vincent and he wasn't important. Hermione was not impressed that no-one had bothered to look at Draco, she knew for a fact that several of the maids had been sent to help the physician with any minor injuries that might have occurred.

Taking matters into her own hands Hermione had sent Ginny for some water and medical supplies. When Ginny had returned Hermione had told Draco to sit down and she would sort him out. When the Knight tried arguing that it wasn't the Queen's place to fix him up the King told him to let her do what she wanted. That was how Draco found himself sitting in the council chambers, talking to the King while the Queen gently tended to his head.

"What happened with Sir Vincent?" The King asked. The beginning of the conversation had dealt with the bandit situation and how Draco and his men had driven them off their land but now the King wanted to know about his injured knight.

"One of the bandits cut him down with a sword." Draco replied, trying not to wince as Hermione cleaned the dried blood from the wound on his head. "The bandit was lying in some long bushes and Vincent didn't see him. He was hit right above the ankle, it was so deep you could see the bone."

"How's Sir Vincent doing now?" King Severus inquired.

"Not good." Draco sighed, clearly upset by what his friend was going through. "The physician had to amputate his foot and when I left he couldn't guarantee he would survive the night."

"That's awful." Hermione said softly. While she may have been tending to Draco head, which luckily wasn't half as bad as it looked, she was still listening to the conversation.

"The physician is very skilled, if anyone can save Sir Vincent then he can." The King said, trying to sound positive. "How about you? How did you get hurt?" He asked Draco.

"I was just hurt in the fight." Draco replied. "The arm injury occurred as I stopped a second bandit trying to kill Vincent while he was lying on the floor."

"Speaking of arms, I need to see yours." Hermione said. "Can you remove your armour and shirt or do you need help?"

"I can wait to get this looked at." Draco protested. "You don't have to do this."

"I want to." Hermione replied, fighting the urge to reach up and kiss the blond knight. "Please let me take a look."

"I would let her." The King interjected. "She's pretty stubborn and I doubt she'll take no for an answer."

"I won't." Hermione agreed. "I'm doing this so it'll be easier if you go along with it."

Knowing it was pointless to fight the Queen, Draco complied with her request. After removing his make shift sling Hermione helped him off with his armour and shirt. While Draco continued to talk with the King, Hermione began unwrapping the bandage on his lower arm. Hermione winced at the sight of the long, deep gash that ran from his elbow to his wrist. From the angle of the wound she figured that Draco must have held his arm up to shield himself and Sir Vincent from their attacker. As Draco and the King spoke about upping the security on the northern borders, Hermione cleaned Draco's wound and re-dressed it.

"I'm done." Hermione announced. "Although I'm not sure why your arm was in a sling, a simple bandage would have sufficed."

"I twisted my shoulder at the same time, the sling was to stop me moving it." Draco explained.

"How's your shoulder now?" Hermione asked, reaching up and gently caressing his shoulder. "Do I need to put it in another sling?"

Draco experimentally rolled his shoulder a few times, wincing slightly but managing to move just fine. "I think it's okay. I just need to rest it I think."

"I think resting's a great idea." King Severus said. "Go back to your chambers and rest and don't worry about your duties tomorrow, take a day off."

"That won't be necessary, Sire." Draco protested.

"That was an order not a request." The King retorted.

"Thank you, Sire." Draco bowed his head before standing up and shrugging his shirt back on. He then picked up his armour and after saying goodnight he left the council chambers.

Hermione watched Draco leave and while she wanted to run after him, she didn't. Instead she said goodnight to the King and she and Ginny headed for her chambers. Once there Ginny did her duties at the speed of light so she could rush off and see Sir Blaise. Hermione didn't mind Ginny being so eager to see her lover, she only wished she was in the same position and could go and see Draco.

Settling into bed Hermione thought about the conversation she wanted to have with Draco. Despite what she had earlier said about putting him in an awkward position with the King she wanted him to know that she wasn't opposed to repeating what had happened down by the river. For nearly two weeks she hadn't seen or spoken to him and for the last week she had been terrified something had happened to him. All that had put a new perspective on things and Hermione knew that if he had being seriously hurt or killed she would always have regretted that she ended things when he was clearly still willing to continue. Hermione was going to wait and see what he said but if Draco was still up for furthering their relationship she wasn't going to oppose it any more, however if he wanted things to remain as they were she would respect that decision.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N – Thanks for all lovely reviews for this story. I wasn't sure how it would be received, so it's nice to read so much positive feedback. **

**A few people have been asking about what's happening back in the real world. Until the book ends the story will stick with Hermione and her experiences, but once she's back at school there is a chapter dealing with the couple of hours she was immersed in the book. But until then I hope people carry on enjoying the adventures of Queen Hermione and Sir Draco, as their story still has a bit to go.**

* * *

Hermione headed towards the council chambers, wondering what the King wanted with her. She had been happily sitting in her room reading a book when one of the maids had appeared and told her the King wished to see her. Despite the fact she would rather stay curled up in her room, Hermione had put her book down and headed off to see the King.

As she headed towards the council room, Hermione kept an eye out for Draco. He'd been back for five days and so far she hadn't managed to get him alone to speak to him. Hermione knew she could have summoned him at any time but she knew he had been spending most of his time with a slowly recovering Sir Vincent and she didn't want to tear him away from his friend. By the time she reached the council chambers Hermione still hadn't spotted Draco. However when she entered the room she found him talking with King Severus.

"Hermione." The King greeted Hermione as she entered the room.

"You wanted to see me, Sire." Hermione said, glancing at Draco who had yet to look her way.

"Yes, actually I wanted to see you both." King Severus said, causing Draco to look at him in bewilderment. "I've arranged for your horses to be prepared, I think you should go out for a ride."

"You don't normally arrange my schedule." Hermione eyed the King up suspiciously, wondering why he was suddenly interfering in her life. Since the story started he had taken very little interest in her and Hermione was confused as to why he was suddenly telling her what to do.

"No, I don't." The King agreed. "But you've been stuck in the castle for over a fortnight, I thought you might like some air and I know how much you love to ride."

Hermione looked at King Severus in surprise. "I have missed riding lately." She admitted.

"Exactly, that's why you should have a ride this afternoon." The King said before he turned to Draco. "And you need to get away from the castle. Sir Vincent is slowly getting better and hovering over him won't rush his progress."

Draco looked like he was going to protest but when the King glared at him he nodded and agreed to take Hermione out. Hermione was slightly upset that Draco clearly didn't want to be alone with her but it was understandable after what had happened between them. After they left the council chambers Draco told Hermione to meet him in the courtyard in ten minutes and they went their separate ways. Once they had both been changed they met in the courtyard and headed out into the countryside.

The ride was taken in silence and after half an hour Hermione was getting frustrated with it. For the first time in days she felt separate to the Queen and what she was thinking, while her royal counterpart was unsure of what to do Hermione just wanted to stop her horse and force a conversation to take place. Normally Queen Hermione was extremely decisive, particularly when it came to Draco, but for some reason today she was unsure of herself and her actions. They carried on riding for another five minutes before Hermione felt the Queen making a decision. Pleased that things would finally be discussed, Hermione allowed herself to become fully immersed in her characters mind as she prepared to talk to Draco.

Hermione waited until they had stopped to give the horses a rest before she approached Draco. The knight was making sure the horses got a drink as Hermione asked if they could talk.

"I wasn't aware we had anything to talk about." Draco said, turning away from the horses and facing Hermione. "You made your position very clear."

"I don't think I did." Hermione sighed. It was clear that Draco had been hurt by her rejection and she didn't know if she could fix it. "I was doing what I thought was best for you, not what I wanted to do."

"What do you mean you didn't do what you wanted to do?" Draco asked. "You're the one with all the power and you chose to make that afternoon a one off. From where I'm standing that was what you wanted to do."

"I didn't want it to be a one off." Hermione admitted, stepping closer to Draco. "I never intended for it to just be a one off but your reaction when we arrived back at the castle changed things."

"What reaction?" Draco inquired, looking puzzled.

"Your reaction to the King." Hermione replied. "You were clearly uncomfortable and guilty and I didn't want to add to that."

"Of course I was uncomfortable, I'd just slept with the man's wife." Draco retorted with a snort. "But that was my choice, I never would have done it if I couldn't have lived with the guilt."

"I didn't exactly give you much choice." Hermione sighed. Turning away she walked over to a nearby tree and slumped down against the trunk.

Draco watched the Queen for a minute before he walked over and settled down beside her. "You didn't force me to do anything. If I had refused you, you wouldn't have pushed it." He told her.

"What makes you so sure?" Hermione asked, turning her head and looking into Draco's eyes. "I knew long before we set off what I wanted from you and I was determined to get it."

"Maybe, but you wouldn't have forced me to do anything I was uncomfortable with. You're too nice a person to do that."

Hermione gave a bitter laugh as she turned her head away from Draco. "I'm not a nice person."

"Yes, you are." Draco insisted. "You're the nicest person I know."

"I'm not." Hermione shook her head sadly. "A nice person wouldn't cheat on her husband and feel very little guilt. A nice person wouldn't force someone to betray their King."

"How many times do I have to tell you that you didn't force me to do anything?" Draco snapped, his tone of voice causing Hermione to turn her head back in his direction. "I willingly betrayed the King and if you hadn't put an end to it I would have willingly done it over and over. I wanted you from the moment I set eyes on you and there was no way I would have passed up the opportunity to have you."

"Did you really want me from the beginning?" Hermione smiled softly, she thought she had felt an instant connection when they had met but it was nice to have it confirmed that it wasn't just her wishful thinking.

"Yes." Draco nodded. "The second we touched, I knew if given the opportunity I would willingly take you to bed, even watching you marry the King didn't change that."

"You never took me to bed though." Hermione whispered.

"Only because I never got the chance." Draco's grey eyes bored into Hermione as he spoke and the couple edged closer to one another.

"Would you still do it, if you got the chance?" Hermione asked.

"It would all depend." Draco shrugged, pulling back from Hermione.

"On what?"

"On whether you were going to turn around afterwards and proclaim it was a mistake."

"I wouldn't do that again." Hermione told Draco, trying to reassure him that she wasn't going to repeat her past mistake. "I thought I was doing what was right for you, but I should have spoken to you before making any decisions."

"What exactly are we saying here?" Draco questioned.

Hermione knew after what had happened before that he was seeking confirmation about what she wanted from him. She also knew that whatever she decided now would have to be something they could both live with. Hermione had made her decision on what she wanted, now she just had to wait and see if Draco wanted the same thing.

"I'm saying I want you, and not just for a one off." Hermione admitted. "But it can only happen if you can live with what we're doing. I don't want you to end up hating me because you've betrayed the King."

"I could never hate you." Draco replied, moving back towards Hermione and cupping her cheek in his hand. "But if we do this you're going to have to accept that sometimes I'm going to feel bad around the King. I've lived in this kingdom my entire life and I have the greatest respect for him, so obviously I'm going to find it difficult. But despite that I want to make it clear that you're more important than all of that, being with you is worth all the guilt I'll feel."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, not wanting to make Draco's life complicated.

"I'm sure if you are."

Hermione smiled at Draco before she leant forward and pressed her lips against his. Within seconds the blond knight was reciprocating the kiss and the couple moved even closer to one another. As they kissed Hermione's hand wandered down Draco's torso and under his shirt, her nails scratching lightly on his abdomen. Draco moaned softly at the feeling as they ended the kiss.

"Is that sure enough for you?" Hermione asked with a grin.

"Yes." Draco nodded. "You seemed pretty sure."

"I am." Hermione confirmed, pressing another quick kiss to Draco's lips. "If you come to my chambers tonight, I'll show you exactly how sure I am."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Draco asked. "We don't want anyone catching us."

"They won't." Hermione reassured Draco. "Ginny never stays very late on a night and as long as you're gone before morning, we'll be fine."

"Okay, I'll see you tonight." Draco dropped another kiss to Hermione's lips before reluctantly pulling away and standing up. "We should be getting back, it'll be dark soon."

Draco helped Hermione up and the couple remounted their horses and headed back towards the castle. However, unlike the silence of the first journey the couple laughed and talked all the way home.

**::::::::::**

After having dinner with the King, Hermione rushed back to her chambers and dismissed Ginny for the evening. Once her maid was gone she unpinned her hair and slipped off her shoes. She then arranged all her cushions onto the rug in front of the fire and settled down in front of the flickering flames to wait for Draco.

The longer she waited the more Hermione began to separate herself from the Queen. She knew exactly what was going to happen and she was nervous. While she had thoroughly enjoyed the encounter by the river, that memory was more than enough to make returning home and facing the real Draco embarrassing but the more encounters she had with his dashing knight counterpart the more embarrassed she would be.

Hermione's worries about returning home after the story were pushed to one side when Draco arrived. After pulling off his boots he settled onto the floor with Hermione and she was quite relived when the couple were happy just to talk. The longer the discussion carried on the more Hermione's thoughts and feelings started blending into the Queen's. By the time Draco started placing soft kisses on Hermione's neck and nuzzling into her hair she was totally immersed into her character and was thoroughly enjoying the attention.

"Were you really that worried about me?" Draco asked, kissing his way up the column of Hermione's neck.

Hermione was sitting in front of Draco, she was nestled in between his spread legs with her back pressed up against his chest. She tilted her head to the side as Draco's tongue traced patterns on her skin. "Yes, especially when we heard a knight was injured."

"I'm sorry for worrying you." Draco said. "Sit forward a bit." He ordered as he searched for the ties on Hermione's dress.

Hermione sat forward slightly, revealing the intricate laces down the back of her dress. As Draco began to slowly untie them Hermione regretted her decision to remain dressed. She had debated whether or not to change into her nightgown but she had decided to remain in her dress. Now she was wishing she had changed as her nightgown would come off quickly while her dress would take time to untie all the laces.

While Hermione may have been regretting her decision not to change she soon forgot about it as Draco started to kiss the skin he was slowly exposing on her back. Hermione whimpered slightly as Draco's lips brushed over the top of her spine and the back of her shoulders. As he got further down her dress the kissing stopped and his fingers instead explored the skin he was revealing. After what felt like an eternity Draco loosened the final lace on the back of Hermione's dress. He then pushed the silky material off her shoulders and down her body, causing it to pool around her waist.

"Sit back." Draco whispered in Hermione's ear as he resumed his kissing of her neck and newly exposed shoulders.

Hermione sat back and nestled her bare back against Draco's shirt covered chest. Draco's hands then went around her front and settled on her stomach. Slowly he started caressing her skin as his hands crept higher up her body. Hermione whimpered softly at his touch as she waited for him to touch her breasts, which she had expected him to do before now.

"You're so beautiful." Draco told Hermione as his hands rested just below her heaving breasts.

Hermione blushed at the words and was about to protest when Draco's hands ventured further north and cupped her breasts. Hermione's words turned into a moan as Draco rolled her nipples in his fingers as he lavished attention on her chest. Hermione arched into Draco's touch as his hands continued to caress her breasts.

Vaguely she was aware that her eagerness for Draco's touch would be a source of embarrassment when the story ended but at this precise moment Hermione was enjoying the experience too much to worry about the after effects of the spell she had cast. During the first risqué scene of the story Hermione had been constantly flustered by what was happening but now she was more in sync with the Queen she was just enjoying the feelings Draco produced in her.

When Draco's hands left her breasts and started running back down her body Hermione whimpered in disappointment, causing Draco to chuckle against her neck. Her disappointment faded however when his hands reached her dress and he told her to lift up slightly. Doing as she was told Hermione lifted her hips and Draco pushed her dress over her hips and down her legs. Hermione kicked the dress the rest of the way off, leaving her sitting in just her undergarments.

Once the dress was off Draco pulled Hermione back up against his chest while his hands rested on her thighs. Hermione wriggled in anticipation and nervousness as Draco's fingers stroked her through her silk underwear. Unconsciously she spread her legs a bit wider as Draco's fingers dipped under the waistband of her underwear and stroked the soft skin of her hip.

"Take them off." Hermione turned her head and kissed the side of Draco's jaw as she issued the order. She was hoping that without her remaining piece of clothing that he would finally touch her where she wanted him to.

"Of course, My Lady." Draco twisted his head and kissed Hermione passionately for a few minutes.

When he broke the kiss he slowly began removing Hermione's underwear. Hermione lifted herself off the floor to help him and as soon as they were halfway down her legs she flicked them away. Chuckling at Hermione's eagerness Draco began stroking his way up her legs. His fingers moved slow but steady up her legs, caressing the smooth skin and eventually stopping at the top of her thighs.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Draco asked in a husky voice.

Hermione smiled at the question, she could feel exactly how much Draco wanted her, but she was touched he had still checked that she was sure. "Yes, I'm sure. Now touch me."

Draco smiled and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek before his fingers headed for the heat between her thighs. Hermione moaned loudly when Draco's fingers slipped between her legs and sought out her clitoris. Draco's thumb began circling the sensitive bundle as his other fingers travelled lower. When he pressed one of his long digits into her wet heat, Hermione leant her head back on Draco's shoulder and gasped at the sensation.

"Do you want me to stop?" Draco asked, sounding worried he had done something the Queen didn't like.

"No." Hermione gasped, moaning at the feeling of Draco's fingers. "Don't stop."

Draco bent his head and kissed Hermione deeply as his fingers got to work in between her legs. Within minutes Hermione was panting and bucking her hips as she begged Draco for more. Adding a second finger into her, Draco increased the pace his hand was working at while his other hand moved up and cupped Hermione's breast. Hermione moaned at the sensations as she felt her climax approaching.

"I'm so close." She panted. "Please, Draco."

Draco continued his work and as he increased the pressure around Hermione's clitoris the Queen exploded around his fingers, which were still buried inside her. Moaning Draco's name, Hermione's orgasm ripped through her and she slumped back onto her lover. Draco held Hermione and planted kisses along her neck and shoulder as she recovered.

"You still haven't taken me to bed yet." Hermione murmured as she regained the power to speak and think straight.

"We'll have to fix that then." Draco chuckled.

Before Hermione could speak again Draco had stood up and pulled her into his arms. He then carried her across the room and placed her in the centre of her bed. Pulling off his own clothes Draco then joined the Queen in the large four poster bed.


	10. Chapter 10

The next three weeks passed in a blur of flashing memories and snatched experiences. All of Hermione's experiences revolved around the Queen's affair with her knight and most of her memories were filled with images of Draco. A couple of times a week Draco snuck into Hermione's chambers and stayed the night and the couple tried to spend as much time together as possible. By now Hermione was partly dreading the spell ending, she knew there would be no way she could face the real Draco without remembering what she had experienced in the story.

After three weeks of short, sharp experiences Hermione was surprised to find herself experiencing something that didn't involve Draco and sneaking about. Hermione had spent the morning with Ginny, getting fitted for a new dress, and she was now sitting reading in a secluded gazebo at the bottom of the palace gardens. It was the Queen's birthday in a few days and the entire castle was busy preparing for the ball the King had decided they should have. Since Hermione wasn't allowed to do any organising for the event she had wandered off to get out of the way.

Hermione had been reading for about ten minutes when she heard a noise in the trees behind her. Whirling round she scanned the trees, but it was so dark she couldn't see anything, figuring it was just an animal she turned back to her book. Less than five minutes later she was disturbed again and eager to find out what was interrupting her reading time she put the book down and stepped into the trees.

"Is anyone here?" Hermione called. If there was a person hiding in the trees she knew the sound of her voice would either prompt them to show themselves or they would flee.

Getting no response Hermione turned round, only to run into a solid form. Hermione opened her mouth the scream but before she uttered a word a hand clamped down over her mouth. Looking up at her attacker, Hermione was both relieved and annoyed to find herself looking into a familiar pair of grey eyes.

Slapping Draco's hand away from her mouth Hermione glared at her lover. "What are you doing sneaking around in the trees? You scared me."

"Sorry." Draco smirked, looking anything but sorry. "I was passing by and spotted you in the gazebo, I thought I would come and say hello."

"Why didn't you just come and sit with me?" Hermione asked.

"People might see." Draco responded.

"So what." Hermione shrugged, not seeing the problem. "We're often together, people will think nothing if it."

"People would think nothing of us talking, but I wasn't planning on talking." Draco responded, as he stepped closer towards Hermione and backed her up against a nearby tree.

"We can't." Hermione protested as Draco placed his arms on either side of her, trapping her between the tree trunk and his toned body. "Someone might see."

"The only way someone will see is if they come right into the trees." Draco said, leaning down and placing kisses along the side of Hermione's neck. "And no-one comes into the trees."

Hermione was going to protest but Draco's lips moved round to hers and her argument was cut off. When Draco's tongue coaxed its way into her mouth Hermione gave up the idea of protesting, she wanted Draco as much as he wanted her and it was pointless to fight it. Moving her arms to wrap around Draco's neck, Hermione pulled the blond closer towards her.

After a bit of kissing Hermione was just as eager as Draco to continue and her hands began wandering down his torso. Hermione's fingers quickly bypassed the chainmail he was wearing and settled at the top of his trousers. Expertly she untied the laces of his trousers and pushed them down his legs. When her small hand closed around his manhood Draco moaned and buried his head in Hermione's neck.

Hermione kept up her ministrations for a few minutes, making Draco moan and pant into her neck. While his head was bent she used the opportunity to lavish attention on his neck, which she had discovered had a few sensitive spots. Draco was happy to let Hermione take control for a while and he enjoyed her hands all over him for a few minutes, before getting on with the reason he had approached his lover.

The second Draco lifted his head and re-connected their lips, Hermione knew he was ready to get on with it. Sure enough while they were kissing his hands wandered down her body and pushed up the bottom of her dress, so that it was caught around her middle. He then slid her undergarments down her legs and positioned himself at her entrance. Breaking the kiss he pulled back and looked into Hermione's eyes as he thrust inside her.

Hermione groaned at the sensation and wrapped one of her legs around Draco's waist. Draco readjusted his stance and wrapped her other leg around his waist as well before he began to move. Right from the beginning the pace was fast and furious as Hermione moved in sync with Draco, while they had never been together up against a tree they instinctively found a comfortable rhythm with each other.

Within minutes of beginning Hermione could feel her climax approaching and she began thinking about her real body, which was currently sitting in her room at Hogwarts. She couldn't help but wonder if she was as responsive in real life, in the story it took very little for Draco to get her to climax and she was curious as to whether it would be the same in reality. She also couldn't help but wonder if the real Draco was as talented in the bedroom as his fictional counterpart, although something told her that if she ever got the chance to be with him he wouldn't disappoint.

Musing's on the real Draco and his sexual ability left her head when his knightly counterpart connected their lips, yet again. Hermione could tell that Draco was nearly ready to climax so as they kissed she slipped a hand in between them and helped herself along, she knew from experience that he preferred it if she came first. Not long after Hermione hit her peak, moaning Draco's name as she came apart. With a few more unsteady thrusts into her quivering heat Draco followed suit, Hermione's name falling from his lips as he slumped against the Queen.

After staying wrapped in each other's arms for a few minutes the couple separated and began re-adjusting their clothing. Once they were back to normal, apart from being slightly flushed, the couple shared a lingering kiss.

"I have to get back." Draco said regretfully, unwilling to let Hermione out of his arms just yet.

"I wish we could spend more than a few minutes together." Hermione sighed.

"We can spend the whole day together tomorrow." Draco smiled down at Hermione. "The King has asked me to get you away from the castle for the day as they prepare your birthday ball. I was thinking we could pack a picnic and go back to the river."

"I'd like that." Hermione smiled and gave Draco another quick kiss. "Now you really should be leaving."

Reluctantly Draco let Hermione out of his embrace and the two lovers went their separate ways. Draco went back about his knightly duties while Hermione went back to her book. Hermione didn't bother to pick the book back up though, instead she was happy just to sit and think about Draco.

**:::::::::::**

Hermione smiled politely as yet another member of the court wished her a happy birthday. She was currently attending her birthday ball and before the feast she was accepting birthday wishes from the court. Once the last guest had paid their respects to the Queen, the King made a brief speech and the feast got under way.

Listening to King Severus's speech and looking around at the ball he had arranged for her, Hermione felt a stab of guilt flaring within her. Despite the fact he didn't love her and barely spoke to her, the whole birthday celebration showed her that he was actually a quite good person. While he may be a cold and at times a harsh ruler, Hermione was under no illusions that under his tough exterior was a kinder, gentler man that rarely got exposed to people. She was beginning to wonder why he had never married before, from the way he treated her, Hermione figured that he would be a great husband to a woman he did actually love.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" King Severus asked, drawing Hermione's attention towards her husband.

"Yes." Hermione smiled and nodded. "It's a lovely evening. Thank you."

"I only wish my surprise had worked out." The King responded.

Earlier that day Hermione had discovered that King Severus had arranged for her parents to visit for her birthday. One of the reasons he had sent her off with Draco the day before was because they were expected to arrive and he wanted their presence to be a surprise. Unfortunately Queen Minerva was feeling unwell and the visit never happened, instead the King and Queen had just sent Hermione a present and vowed to visit when the Queen was up to travelling.

"It was the thought that counts." Hermione told the King. "I was extremely touched by the gesture."

"Maybe once your mother is feeling better you can go and visit your parents." King Severus suggested.

"I'd like that." Hermione nodded. When the King had suggested she visited her home kingdom a few months earlier she had been unsure but now things were more settled she looked forward to the trip.

"I'll arrange something in a few weeks." King Severus said.

Once that was sorted Hermione expected the King to turn around and speak to the Lord sitting near him on his other side, but instead his attention remained firmly on her. As he continued to make conversation throughout the rest of the feast Hermione began to get worried, so far he had never showed this much interest in her and she didn't know if it was leading somewhere. The thought of having to get more heavily involved with King Severus had Hermione freaking out internally, not only was the Queen worried about her affair with Sir Draco but Hermione was worried about her memories once the story was over and she was faced with the real Snape.

Once the feast was over Hermione was horrified when the King asked her to dance. While they had danced at their wedding feast it had been brief and she hadn't actually experienced it, that part of the night was just in the memories she had been repressing. Knowing she couldn't refuse without causing a scene Hermione took the King's hand and he led her onto the dance floor.

As the music started and King Severus took her in his arms Hermione's eyes locked with Draco's. Draco was sitting watching the royal couple just like everyone else and while most people would say the head knight looked in a good mood, Hermione could see the jealously blazing in his grey eyes. Tearing her gaze away from her lover Hermione concentrated on dancing with the King and making sure she didn't accidentally give him the wrong impression by getting too close to him. Luckily he was the perfect gentleman and remained a respectable distance away from her throughout the whole thing. Hermione was even impressed that his eyes didn't dip down to look at her impressive cleavage, her purple and gold dress was quite provocative and more daring than any she had worn before now.

After dancing with the King, Hermione found herself in popular demand. She danced with several Lords and Dukes and numerous other men of court. She even found herself dancing with several of the Knights, the only exception being Sir Vincent as he could no longer dance with his amputated foot. After dancing with Sir Blaise, Sir Gregory and Sir Theodore, Hermione was pleased to find herself in Sir Draco's arms. Hermione couldn't help but notice that like the King, Draco never once eyed her cleavage up, something every other man she had danced with had done.

"Are you mad at me?" Hermione asked Draco as they moved across the dance floor.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Draco questioned, looking confused.

"I don't know, you just don't seem your normal self, tonight." Hermione replied.

"Well I admit I was jealous seeing you dancing with all those other men." Draco smiled briefly at Hermione, making sure no-one could see what he really felt for the woman in his arms. "But apart from that, I'm fine."

"If you say so." Hermione sighed, not sure if she believed him.

"I do." Draco nodded and moved his head so he was whispering in Hermione's ear. "I can hardly act like I want to get you somewhere private and tear that dress from your body."

"Is that what you want to do?" Hermione questioned, suddenly feeling happier.

"Since the moment you walked into the room." Draco admitted, still whispering in Hermione's ear. "I can't wait until I can get you out of it."

"There will be no tearing, mind you." Hermione warned in a quiet voice. "I will happily let you take it off me, but this dress is expensive and I don't want it ruined."

"I'm sure I can get it off without destroying it. As long as later on, you're writhing underneath me completely naked, I don't care how you get that way." Draco whispered directly into Hermione's ear before he stepped back and released her from his hold. "My Lady." Taking her hand he bowed and pressed a quick kiss to the back of it before turning and walking away from Hermione.

Hermione watched him go feeling distinctly flustered and aroused. Graciously refusing more offers to dance she made her way back to her seat and settled back at the head table. Picking up her goblet she drank her wine as she watched people enjoying themselves. Hermione herself had actually enjoyed the evening but after her dance with Draco all she wanted to do was go back to her chambers and be ravished by her blond lover.


	11. Chapter 11

Nearly a fortnight after her birthday ball Hermione was sitting by the window in her chambers while Ginny sat nearby with her box of sewing. The two women were chatting quite happily when there was a knock on the door. Ginny placed her work down on the nearby table as she went to answer the door. When the door was opened Hermione was surprised to see the King entering the room.

"I didn't mean to disturb you." King Severus said, telling Hermione she didn't have to stand up from her seat. "I just wanted to let you know I'm arranging your visit back home. I still need to finalise details but it should be happening sometime next week."

"Thank you, Sire." Hermione smiled. "I appreciate the effort you're going to."

"It's nothing." The King shrugged. "I promised your father you would make regular visits home and so far I haven't lived up to that promise."

As King Severus left the room, Hermione began to think about her husband's motives for arranging the trip back to Gryffindor. Initially she had assumed he was just being kind and thinking of her happiness but now she was thinking his decision was more to keep King Albus off his back. Hermione mentally shook her head to dislodge the thoughts, his reasons for arranging the trip weren't important, what was important was the fact she would be going home for a few days in the near future.

"It'll be nice to go home for a few days, won't it?" Hermione said to Ginny as her maid settled back in her seat.

"Yes, it will." Ginny nodded. "Although I actually think of here as home now. I really like it in Slytherin."

"I like it here too." Hermione agreed, her mind automatically flipping to the main reason she liked it in the kingdom of Slytherin, namely a certain blond knight. "But it will be nice to see my parents."

"I would like to see my family." Ginny admitted, sounding nostalgic.

Hermione nodded understandingly, when they had moved Ginny had left her parents and brothers behind and she knew the redhead missed them a lot. While Hermione also missed her parents she'd known from an early age that when she married she would likely have to leave her home behind, so actually leaving wasn't as much of a wrench for her.

"If you really miss them, you can stay behind in Gryffindor." Hermione told her maid. While she loved having Ginny by her side she would understand if her friend wanted to remain in Gryffindor.

"No, my places is here, with you." Ginny smiled at Hermione. "I'm sure we can return to Gryffindor often enough for me to see my family."

"As long as you're sure." Hermione said. "I don't want you to feel pressured into staying with me."

"I don't." Ginny insisted. "I'm with you because you're my best friend and I want to be here. Besides I'm having a lot of fun here."

"Fun in the shape of Sir Blaise or Sir Theodore? Or someone else entirely?" Hermione teased.

Hermione had thought that Ginny was involved with Sir Blaise but last week she had spotted her flirting with Sir Theodore. Then there was the fact that Draco had recently implied that Ginny had been intimate with a few of the other knights.

"Just fun." Ginny smiled mysteriously. "Things might be a bit more formal here, but the people are more fun."

Hermione chuckled softly, totally agreeing with her friend. Back home in Gryffindor she wouldn't have dreamt of having an affair with one of the knights, although apart from Ron she didn't think any of them would be up for such a thing. Even if something had developed between her and Ron, which it never would have, Hermione couldn't imagine he would be as fun as Draco. Despite the fact their relationship needed to be a secret, Draco wasn't opposed to grabbing Hermione and dragging her into one of the many hidden alcoves and kissing her senseless.

"How big a party do you think they'll send us with?" Ginny asked Hermione, drawing her attention back to the conversation.

"I don't know." Hermione shrugged. "Probably just a couple of knights."

"You really think the King will let you travel with only a few knights?" Ginny questioned.

"Yes. He can't spare too many as he still has the rest of the kingdom to think about. Besides I'm pretty certain we'll have the top knight with us."

"Now that is something you wouldn't complain about." Ginny said dreamily. "Sir Draco is gorgeous."

"Sounds like someone has a crush." Hermione retorted, feeling a curl of jealousy inside herself.

"I'm just stating the obvious." Ginny shrugged. "Besides, I don't think I'm his type."

"What makes you think that?"

"He's always been nice and polite to me but unlike the other knights he hasn't tried anything with me."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief at Ginny's words. While she knew Draco wouldn't have been with Ginny while they had been together there was plenty of time before their affair started that he could have bedded her best friend.

"I wonder which other knights will accompany us." Ginny mused.

Hermione tuned out as Ginny debated the pros and cons for various knights accompanying them on their trip. After five minutes of Ginny's ramblings Hermione changed the topic of conversation to the Gryffindor knights, causing Ginny to worry about how she was going to face Sir Harry. Ten minutes later Ginny was still thinking of ways to deal with her ex-lover as she left to do some other chores, leaving Hermione to enjoy the peace and quiet.

**:::::::::::::**

A few days after the King's announcement that he was arranging a trip to Gryffindor for the Queen, the final preparations were put in place. King Severus had spent most of the day with Sir Draco as the pair had organised the route and security. Over dinner all the King said was that everything was in place for the following week and the trip would be going ahead. Hermione had to wait until later that night, when Draco paid her a visit, to get any more details.

Draco had told Hermione about the plans and that Sir Theodore would be the other knight accompanying them on the journey. Once Hermione was filled in on what would be happening the couple had tumbled into bed, which was where they currently were. After twice making love, Hermione was lying in Draco's arms as they spoke about her return home.

"Are you looking forward to it?" Draco asked, running his fingers through Hermione's curls.

"Yes, I miss my parents." Hermione replied. Whenever she referred to King Albus and Queen Minerva as her parents Hermione inwardly shuddered, no matter how immersed she was in the Queen's life there were still some people that automatically brought her mind back to the oddness of the casting.

"Is there anyone else you miss?"

Hermione turned her head at Draco's question. Despite his unreadable expression she knew him well enough to spot the apprehension in his eyes. Obviously her lover was worrying that she had someone back in Gryffindor that she had left behind when she moved kingdoms.

"I miss my friends, if that's what you mean." Hermione replied, knowing that it wasn't what Draco meant at all. "I was pretty close to all the top knights of Gryffindor."

"How close?" Draco asked, jealously flashing in his eyes.

"Pretty close, like with Ginny I've known them all since we were children." Hermione responded.

"Have you ever been involved with any of them?"

"Why? Are you jealous?" Hermione grinned up at Draco.

"Of course not." Draco tutted. "I'm just curious."

"No, I haven't been involved with any of them." Hermione replied, kissing Draco on the cheek. "You're the only knight for me."

"Good." Draco grinned and kissed Hermione softly. "Let's keep it that way."

"I intend to." Hermione said, before pulling Draco into a deeper kiss.

"It's good to know I have nothing to worry about." Draco said quietly, sounding slightly uncomfortable with sharing his worries. "I don't like the thought of losing you."

"You'll never lose me." Hermione promised, although deep down she knew it was an impractical promise to make as if the King ever discovered their affair they could both be in trouble. "But I actually think we will have something to worry about in Gryffindor."

"What?" Draco asked, sitting up and pulling Hermione with him as the conversation took a serious sounding turn.

"Sir Ron." Hermione sighed at the thought of her former guard. "We'll have to be really careful when he's around, we don't want him spotting something he shouldn't."

"No-one's noticed anything here. I doubt a Gryffindor knight can work something out none of our people can." Draco argued.

"Yes, but people here aren't watching me like a hawk. I'm telling you if we're not careful he'll spot something is going on."

"Why does he watch you so closely?" Draco questioned.

"He was my personal guard back in Gryffindor." Hermione answered. "And he was sort of in love with me."

"Sort of?"

"Fine, he was totally in love with me." Hermione amended her earlier statement. "He might have moved on but he was pretty serious about me, he even tried to convince my father to allow him to come and live here with me and continue providing me with protection."

Draco's expression hardened at Hermione's words and his grey eyes flashed menacingly. "I hope this Sir Ron has the brains to stay out of things when we visit Gryffindor. He needs to know that you're not his to protect anymore, you're mine."

"And an attitude like that won't help." Hermione scolded her lover. "If you go around acting all possessive like that, he'll know for sure something is going on."

"I'm just a humble knight doing his duty." Draco shrugged.

"You didn't sound like a knight doing his duty." Hermione laughed. "You sounded like a possessive lover staking his claim."

"Can I not be both?" Draco questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Only in private." Hermione smiled. "When we're in Gryffindor leave Sir Ron to me, I know how to handle him. Just don't do anything to make him suspicious of us."

"I'll be extra vigilant." Draco sighed. "Although it's a shame, I was looking forward to making love to you in your chambers back at Gryffindor."

"Who says you won't?" Hermione replied. As she spoke she swung her leg over Draco and straddled him, causing them both to moan at the contact. "I'm sure you can sneak in during the night."

"How close is your old rooms to anyone else's?" Draco questioned, his eyes wandering over Hermione's naked body.

"It's a few corridors away from my parents room, that's the nearest occupied room. Why?"

"I was just wondering." Draco muttered. Gripping Hermione by the hips he manoeuvred her so she was hovering over his erection. With one fluid movement Hermione sank down onto Draco, eliciting loud moans from the pair of them.

"Why?" Hermione gasped. Being on top was a new position for them and she was rather enjoying the feeling it produced inside her.

"I was just thinking that we would have to be really careful if there was anyone nearby." Draco panted. "You can get pretty loud."

"I do not." Hermione argued.

As if to prove his point Draco thrust his hips upwards, causing Hermione to groan loudly. Leaning up he then took one of her breasts into his mouth, creating yet more moans and whimpers from Hermione.

"See." Draco smirked as Hermione moaned above him.

"I get your point." Hermione gasped, biting her lip to stifle another moan as Draco's tongue swirled round her nipple.

"We'll just have to be quieter in Gryffindor." Draco said. Grasping Hermione's hips he began helping her move on him, producing moans and screams from the brunette woman. "Much quieter." He added as Hermione let out a pretty loud squeal as he thrust up into her at the exact same time she plunged down on him.

"We'll do quiet later." Hermione moaned again as she held onto Draco's shoulders as they found a rhythm that was proving pleasing for them both. "I don't think I can do quiet right now."

"Good." Draco smirked briefly before capturing Hermione's lips in a bruising kiss. "I love making you scream."

"I'm not screaming." Hermione panted, as she rode Draco like it was something they had done before.

"Not yet." Draco grinned before flipping Hermione over and hovering over her.

Hermione smiled back at her lover as he pulled out of her, before plunging back in hard. She knew from experience that the dark look in his eyes meant she was in for a good time. She'd challenged him with the screaming comment and she knew that by the end of the night she would be screaming her lover's name repeatedly.


	12. Chapter 12

When Hermione and Ginny emerged from the castle as they prepared to depart for Gryffindor, Hermione chuckled quietly to herself at the King's shocked expression. Because they were making a long trip on horseback both Hermione and Ginny were wearing trousers, boots and a shirt. Back home in Gryffindor the girls had often dressed in trousers when they were riding a long distance but so far in Slytherin there hadn't been any need to get out their riding clothes, normally when Hermione went riding one of her more plain dresses sufficed just fine.

"You look different." The King commented as Hermione reached his side.

From the look on his face Hermione couldn't decide if he was appalled by the outfit or intrigued by it. Personally she was hoping for the former, the last thing she wanted was for King Severus to take a sexual interest in her.

"This outfit is more comfortable for travelling long distances, a dress really isn't practical." Hermione explained.

"You could have used the carriage." The King retorted. For days he had actually tried to get Hermione to use the royal carriage but she had insisted on making the trip on horseback.

"I'm looking forward to the ride." Hermione shrugged.

The King made a non-committal sound before turning to Sir Draco and Sir Theodore. While King Severus was issuing the last minute instructions to his knights Hermione and Ginny mounted their horses. A few minutes later the two knights did the same and the small party set off.

Sir Draco led the party while Sir Theodore brought up the rear. In-between the pair of them rode the two women, who passed the time by chatting quietly together. The group rode like that for nearly two hours before they stopped for a brief rest. When they set off for the second part of the journey Sir Theodore took up the lead, while Sir Draco travelled at the back of the party.

"You can go and talk to him if you want." Hermione said to Ginny after they had been riding for half an hour.

"Talk to who?" Ginny questioned.

"Sir Theodore." Hermione chuckled at her friend. "You've been eying him up since we started off again. Go and talk to him."

"I don't want to leave you." Ginny protested.

"I'll be fine, go." Hermione insisted.

After thanking Hermione, Ginny quickened her pace until she was riding with Sir Theodore. Less than a minute after her maid had left her, Hermione felt Draco come up beside her.

Turning her head she smiled as she saw her lover was riding next to her. "Hi."

"Hello." Draco smiled at Hermione. "Are you enjoying the ride?"

"I'd be enjoying it more if we were alone." Hermione replied, glancing at Ginny and Sir Theodore, who were too busy flirting to pay attention to the couple behind them.

"I'm sure we can find some time alone over the next few days." Draco said, sounding hopeful.

"I'm sure we can." Hermione agreed. "As long as we're careful."

"You're not still worrying about Sir Ron, are you?" Draco asked. "I've already told you, he'll not realise anything is going on."

"Wait and see." Hermione retorted. "I guarantee after meeting him, you'll see why we have to be extra careful while we're in Gryffindor."

Draco still looked unsure that one knight could notice something that an entire kingdom had missed, but he wasn't about to argue the point with the Queen. Changing the subject the couple chatted happily until the next rest break. After the second rest it took just over an hour before Gryffindor castle came into view.

As the group entered the courtyard they realised that they had a welcoming party. Standing at the bottom of the stairs leading into the castle were the King and Queen and surrounding them were a few servants as well as the top batch of knights in the kingdom. Hermione noticed that Sir Ron's attention was focused on her, while Sir Harry seemed preoccupied with the return of Ginny.

When the horses came to a stop Draco was off his horse and helping Hermione off her horse before anyone else had the chance to move. As he did so Hermione inclined her head towards Sir Ron and Draco managed to get a glimpse of the Gryffindor's knight furious expression.

"Hermione." Queen Minerva smiled widely as she approached her daughter. "How are you?"

"I'm good." Hermione replied, hugging the older woman.

"Good, good." King Albus smiled, coming up beside his wife and daughter. "Let's get you settled in, shall we."

Hermione watched as he then started ordering the servants to take people's bags to the appropriate rooms. Hermione had already given Ginny permission to spend the rest of the day with her family so the redhead said goodbye before grabbing her bag and heading into town. The King then sent Sir Theodore off with a couple the knights, he was apparently staying in the knights' quarters for the duration of the stay.

"I've arranged for a room near to Queen Hermione for you." King Albus said to Draco. "I figured it was best if you were closer to her."

"Thank you, Sire." Draco nodded at the King.

"I'll let Hermione show you the way." King Albus said before turning to his daughter. "I'll see you at dinner, I thought we could have a private meal."

"I'd like that." Hermione smiled at her parents as they turned and headed into the castle.

As she turned back around to speak to Draco she suddenly realised that Sir Ron was still present. She had thought he had gone with the other knights, but clearly she had been mistaken.

"Hello." Hermione smiled at her old friend. "How have you been?"

"Fine." Sir Ron replied. "How is it living in Slytherin?"

"It's good." Hermione said, smiling slightly at the reason it was so good living in Slytherin. "We can talk later, I really need to go and get settled in and show Sir Draco his room."

"About that, I was thinking that while you were here I could resume my old duties." Sir Ron turned to Draco as he spoke and the jealously was evident on his face. "I thought you might like a few days off." He said to the rival knight.

"That won't be necessary." Draco replied sharply. "It's my duty to guard the Queen and I intend on doing my job."

"I was only offering." Sir Ron muttered.

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't need time off." Draco said. "I'm perfectly happy to be by the Queen's side throughout the visit."

"Come on, we should get indoors." Hermione said to Draco before turning to Sir Ron. "I'm sure we can catch up later."

Sir Ron nodded as he watched Hermione turn round and walk into the palace with her blond knight. Until they were out of sight from the courtyard Hermione could feel her friend's gaze on her.

"You were right." Draco admitted, once they were out of ear shot of the other knight. "We will have to be careful."

"Told you." Hermione replied with a smirk.

Sir Ron never came up again in conversation as Hermione showed Draco where her chambers were located. It then didn't take them long to find the room the King had prepared for him. Once she knew Draco knew where to find her when he needed her, Hermione left the knight alone and headed to her own chambers.

The minute she walked into her chambers Hermione felt nostalgic. It had been just over five months since she had left Gryffindor and while Hermione hadn't experienced every minute of those five months it felt like she had. Hermione was now so immersed into the story that most of the time she didn't really think about the time jumps, she now always knew instantly what had happened in between jumps so they didn't disorientate her any more.

After getting re-acquainted with her chambers, Hermione began searching for a suitable dress to wear for dinner. She'd just picked out a deep red dress when there was a knock on the door and one of the maids entered. The young girl explained that she had been sent to help Hermione in Ginny's absence. Hermione gratefully accepted the help and the young maid began helping her get ready.

An hour later Hermione was dressed and ready to head to dinner. After double checking her appearance one final time Hermione walked out of her chambers. When she emerged into the hallway she smiled as she found Draco waiting for her.

"I thought I would escort you to dinner." Draco explained.

"Thank you." Hermione smiled and fell into step with the blond knight. "Do you have plans tonight?" She asked, as she directed them to the dining hall.

"The knights of Gryffindor have invited Theodore and I for a drink in the local tavern." Draco replied.

"Make sure you don't end up too drunk. A few of our knights really know how to put it away." Hermione chuckled.

"I can hold my drink just fine." Draco insisted.

"I'm sure you can." Hermione smiled.

A few minutes later they reached the doors to the dining hall. Hermione was surprised there were no guards on the door but a glance around revealed two knights standing further down the corridor.

"I guess, I'll see you tomorrow then." Hermione said, reluctant to leave Draco. They'd already discussed that it wouldn't be wise to sneak about on their first night so they were stuck with waiting until the following night when Draco had taken time to learn the guard's routines, ensuring they won't get caught.

"I guess so." Draco replied, sounding just as disappointed as Hermione that they couldn't spend the evening together. "Good night, My Lady."

"Good night." Hermione wanted to kiss Draco but she refrained and instead smiled at the knight before turning and entering the dining hall.

King Albus and Queen Minerva were already seated when Hermione entered the room. Greeting the royal couple she settled down in her usual chair as the King ordered dinner to be served. King Albus waited until the servants had produced the food before he began questioning his daughter on her new life and marriage.

"How are you finding it living in Slytherin?" The King asked. "Are the people treating you alright?"

"The people are treating me fine." Hermione answered. She didn't think her father really needed to know that while she was treated with nothing but respect by the court, she could still sense how unhappy the kingdom was to have a Queen that hailed from Gryffindor. "And I really like living in Slytherin."

"What about King Severus? Is he treating you right?" The King inquired.

"The King treats me perfectly." Hermione told her parents. Again she didn't think her parents needed to know that there were days they barely spoke and that their entire marriage was a sham.

"And everything else is alright?" The King asked, continuing with his questioning. "You don't have any problems with your security or anything? And you can do what you like, can't you?"

"Yes father, I can do whatever I like." Hermione replied. "And my security is excellent, I always feel very safe with Sir Draco by my side."

"He does seem like an impressive young man." The King said. "After King Severus told me he would be looking after you, I did some asking around. Did you know he was a champion jouster? He's also rumoured to be fearsome opposition with a sword."

"Well, he is the top knight in Slytherin. I would expect him to excel at all types of combat." Hermione replied.

"Well as fascinating as this is, talking about fighting, I would like to know more about my daughter's life." Queen Minerva interrupted the talk about Sir Draco and his battle skills. "Tell us more about living in Slytherin."

Hermione obliged the Queen, telling her about the long rides she indulged in and the beautiful gardens at the palace. For the rest of the meal Hermione spoke about her life at Slytherin, even though she had to leave the most important thing about her life out of her tales. Throughout the whole discussion Hermione was very careful not to mention Draco too much, she didn't want either of her parents picking up on how close she was to the blond knight.

It wasn't until she had left the dining hall and was returning to her chambers that Hermione realised she had spoken very little about King Severus. Her parents hadn't asked too many questions about her husband and since he didn't feature in her life that much he hadn't popped up in the stories she told. As she got ready for bed and crawled in-between the sheets, she only hoped that neither of her parents had picked up on the state of her marriage. She really didn't want them interfering and possibly talking to King Severus, if that happened the King might feel pressured into making their marriage a real one and Hermione didn't think she could cope with that.


	13. Chapter 13

The following morning for Hermione was spent with Queen Minerva. The two Queens took a stroll around the palace gardens as they gossiped about what had been happening in Gryffindor since Hermione had left. Hermione was very relieved that the conversation never strayed onto the topic of her married life. By the time the two women separated at lunch time, Hermione's love life hadn't been mentioned once.

After having lunch in her chambers with Ginny, Hermione headed to the courtyard to meet up with Draco. She had spoken to him briefly that morning and he had informed her that the knights of Gryffindor were making him and Sir Theodore most welcome. Hermione doubted Sir Ron would be making the blond feel welcome but the Slytherin knight refused to be drawn on the subject of how he was being treated by his rival knight.

"Are you ready for the tour?" Hermione asked as she approached Draco in the courtyard.

"Yes." Draco nodded. "Come on Your Majesty, show me the sights of Gryffindor."

Hermione smiled at Draco before she began the tour of her home kingdom. Throughout the tour Hermione made sure to keep a safe distance away from Draco, they were surrounded by people and she didn't want to start any rumours. Anyone watching them would undoubtedly notice the natural friendliness that existed between them but Hermione wasn't worried about anyone picking up on that, after all when she lived in Gryffindor her best friends were five knights and her handmaiden.

As Hermione showed Draco around the castle and the nearby market and town, she noticed Sir Ron kept popping up. Throughout the afternoon they had run into several of the knights but they encountered Sir Ron more than once. Hermione also noticed that every time they ran into the redheaded knight he would glare unhappily at Draco.

"I think he's stalking us." Draco whispered to Hermione after they encountered Sir Ron for the third time in an hour.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Hermione joked.

"Has he always been like this?" Draco asked.

"No." Hermione shook her head. "But when I was living here, he was always around so he didn't have to follow around after me."

"How long as he been in love with you?" Draco asked.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "I don't know." She admitted. "But I was aware of it for a few years before I left."

"Have you ever told him he doesn't stand a chance with you?"

"Not exactly. I never brought it up because I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I've never encouraged him."

Draco came to a standstill and turned to face Hermione, who had also stopped when he had. Checking no-one was close enough to overhear them he shot her a cheeky grin before asking his next question.

"So you never seduced him during a long ride?"

Hermione blushed slightly but she chuckled softly as she shook her head. "No, I've only ever done that once and I don't plan on doing it again."

"You don't need to do it again." Draco replied. "I'm yours until you're sick of me."

"I won't get sick of you." Hermione smiled sadly at Draco before she resumed walking.

Hermione already knew the end of their relationship wouldn't come about because she was sick of the blond knight, she knew that wouldn't ever happen as with each passing day she was becoming more attached to Draco. The only thing she did know was the end of their relationship would break her heart, she just hoped that in the end it wouldn't end in tragedy.

Hermione and Draco finished their tour with a trip to the stables to check on their horses. Once they were finished they headed back into the castle and went up to Hermione's chambers, where they were told by Ginny that dinner would be held in an hour and they were both expected to attend.

Draco questioned if there was some sort of event taking place but Hermione told him that it was likely one of King Albus' dinners for his top knights. She then explained that a few times a month the King and Queen dined with their top knights. Draco was quite surprised by the idea, the only time the knights dined with the King in Slytherin was when there was a large social event, other than that the idea of dining with King Severus was laughable.

After getting the news he was expected to attend dinner with the King and Queen, Draco left Hermione to go and get ready. Once the knight had gone Hermione picked out a dress as she and Ginny began the routine of getting her ready for dinner.

"What did you do this afternoon?" Hermione asked her maid. Because she'd being going out with Draco, Hermione had given Ginny the afternoon off.

"I spoke to Harry." Ginny sighed. "I had to tell him that we're definitely over. You would think the fact I live in another kingdom now would be more than enough for him to get the hint, wouldn't you?"

"He didn't still think you were together, did he?" Hermione questioned in surprise.

"Apparently so." Ginny muttered. "But I set him straight."

"What did you say?" Hermione asked. She was hoping that Ginny hadn't revealed to the knight exactly many of Slytherins knights she had bedded since leaving him.

"Just that it was impossible to maintain a relationship when we live in separate kingdoms." Ginny explained. "He actually took it pretty well."

As Ginny continued to lace up her dress Hermione couldn't help but wonder if Sir Harry had taken the news well because he was expecting it or because Ginny had given him a final goodbye to remember. Knowing all about her maid's promiscuous behaviour, Hermione was voting for the second option.

"All done." Ginny announced as she finished with Hermione's dress. "You look lovely, Hermione."

"Thank you." Hermione smiled at her friend, before checking out her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a deep purple silk dress that fitted her snugly and highlighted her curves, while her hair was hanging in loose ringlets down her back.

After dismissing Ginny for the rest of the night, Hermione made her way out of her chambers. Like the previous night Draco was waiting for her and the couple walked to the dining hall together. Unlike the previous night however Draco accompanied Hermione into the room, where they would be eating with her parents.

King Albus and Queen Minerva were already present, as were Sir Seamus and Sir Dean. After greeting the King and Queen, Hermione and Draco took their seats while they waited for the others to arrive. As usual Hermione sat to the left of King Albus and she ushered Draco into the seat next to hers, when she had lived in Gryffindor that had been the seat Sir Ron occupied at these sort of meals.

After the other four knights arrived, Sir Ron looking less than impressed to find Sir Draco sitting in his usual seat, dinner was served. For the first part of the meal King Albus set about quizzing the two knights from the rival kingdom, eager to know more about the place his daughter was living. After a while however the conversation turned to the upcoming tournament, which was to be held in Slytherin in a few months.

The tournament the largest of its kind and was open to every kingdom in the land. While there were dozens of tournaments held throughout the kingdoms every year this particular tournament was only held every five years. Last time the tournament had been held in Ravenclaw and none of the knights sitting around the table had been experienced enough to enter.

"How do you rate your chances at the tournament, Sir Draco?" King Albus asked the young knight.

"I don't like to boast, but I am the champion for jousting and sword fighting in Slytherin." Draco replied. "Not to mention I've won a few other tournaments in my time."

Hermione inwardly chuckled at Draco's comments, right now he definitely reminded her of the real Draco. The real Draco certainly wasn't opposed to singing his own praises and despite claiming he didn't like to boast, Sir Draco didn't seem to have a problem doing a bit of bragging about his skills.

"Sir Harry is our champion, I'm sure he can give you a run for your money." The King smiled. "Isn't that right, Sir Harry?"

"I'll certainly do my best, Sire." Sir Harry answered.

"I'll look forward to it. It would be nice to have some decent competition for a change." Draco said, grinning competitively at Sir Theodore, who merely rolled his eyes at his friend and his competitive nature.

"How many men are Slytherin entering in the tournament" King Albus asked Draco. There was a limit of six men per kingdom so competition for a place was fierce.

"I'm not sure. But I think it will just be four." Draco replied. "We only let the best enter tournaments."

"Why only four?" Queen Minerva questioned. "I was under the impression that Slytherin had five top knights, like us. Surely all five of you should be good enough to enter the tournament."

"We are, but Sir Vincent is no longer able to fight after his accident." Draco said, before briefly explaining about his fellow knight's loss of foot.

"These bandits are getting out of control." King Albus muttered. "Only last month they destroyed one of our outlying villages."

As King Albus continued to bemoan the recent incidents with the bandits, talk of the upcoming tournament was forgotten. For the rest of the meal the King and the knights compared experiences with the bandits while the two Queen's chatted quietly together.

Once dinner was finished the group went their separate ways. Sir Harry accompanied King Albus and Queen Minerva as they left the room first, followed by Hermione and Draco and the rest of the knights. While the group of knights headed off to their quarters Draco walked Hermione to her chambers. Promising to come back later on, when people were asleep, Draco left Hermione and returned to his room.

**:::::::::::::::**

Hermione moaned quietly as Draco rocked against her. The couple were currently sprawled in Hermione's large bed as they made love. Draco had returned to Hermione's chambers a little over an hour after he had dropped her off and they had immediately tumbled into bed.

Looking up into Draco's stormy grey eyes, Hermione felt a wave of love wash through her. As Draco continued to gently make love to her, lavishing her body with attention from his hands and mouth, Hermione thought about the feelings the blond knight produced in her. Right from the beginning they shared a connection and their friendship had developed quickly. Hermione had also always felt safe with her protector, especially times like these when his body was pressed against hers and he was bringing her pleasure.

The more Hermione thought about it the more she realised she had fallen in love with Draco. She'd known right from the beginning of their relationship that the potential for love was there and it seemed as though it had finally happened. Hermione knew the few weeks when she was so worried about Draco's safety while he was dealing with the bandits was the turning point in their relationship, but until now she hadn't allowed herself to analyse her feelings.

Reaching up and brushing Draco's blond hair out of his eyes Hermione was hit with the urge to tell the blond knight how she felt about him. Realistically she knew their romance was doomed to end in heartbreak, but she had to tell him how she felt.

"Draco, I love you." Hermione whispered, hoping she wasn't going to frighten the knight away.

Draco froze and stared down at the woman underneath him. "Do you mean that?" He asked.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "I've fallen in love with you."

Hermione was beginning to worry that her declaration had ruined everything when Draco's face suddenly broke out into a large smile. Still smiling widely he ducked his head and caught Hermione's lips in a passionate kiss.

"I love you, too." He declared as their lips parted. "I have done for a while, I was just too afraid to tell you."

Hermione smiled at the knight as she reached up and pulled his head back down and re-connected their lips. While they were kissing they resumed their previous activities as they carried on making love in the candlelight.


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione was in the middle of experiencing a time jump when a knocking sound brought her to full alertness. A few minutes ago Hermione had been drifting off to sleep in Draco's arms, when she felt the scene fading around her. Hermione was guessing the time jump had just shot her forward to the next morning as she was still in bed, the problem was she wasn't alone.

As the knocking sounded again Hermione wriggled out of the tight embrace of the man in her bed. As she got out of bed and pulled on her discarded nightgown Hermione couldn't help but look at a sleeping Draco. While they had fallen asleep together many times since their affair started this was the first time Hermione had woken up in his arms, normally he had snuck out of her room long before it was time for her to rise.

Tearing her eyes away from her sleeping lover Hermione hastily pulled the curtains around the bed. Gathering up Draco's clothes she shoved them in a nearby cupboard on her way to answer the door. As she opened the door and let in the maid bringing breakfast she hoped that Draco would either remain sleeping or if he did wake he would have the sense to remain silent.

After placing the breakfast on the table the maid asked if there was anything else she could do for Hermione. Trying not to seem eager to get rid of the girl Hermione politely refused the offer and ushered the maid back out of the room. Once she was gone Hermione re-locked the door and slumped against it in relief, very aware of how close she and Draco had just come to being caught.

At the sound of the curtains being opened on her bed Hermione turned round to see Draco emerging from the ruby hangings.

"I think I've slept in." He commented, noticing the breakfast on the table.

"As long as no-one else stops by this morning, I think we'll be okay." Hermione replied. "Are you hungry?" She asked, gesturing to the tray.

"Not particularly." Draco replied, heading in Hermione's direction.

As Draco stalked towards her, still naked, Hermione wanted to avert her eyes. Despite the numerous times she had now seen the blond man naked she was still flustered by the sight, this effect however was only internal as Queen Hermione had no problems with blatantly staring at her lover's body.

When he reached her, Draco pulled Hermione into his arms and engaged her in a passionate kiss. As she lost herself in the kiss Hermione forgot all about Draco's nakedness, it had gotten to the point that whenever he touched her she lost herself in the story and revelled in the feelings he produced in her. Still kissing her deeply, Draco pushed the sleeves of Hermione's nightgown from her shoulders, causing the material to pool around her feet.

Hermione stepped out of discarded material as Draco manoeuvred her towards the table. Bumping against the table Hermione found herself perched on the edge as Draco began kissing his way down her neck. Hermione tangled her hand in his soft hair as Draco moved further down her body, swirling his tongue around her sensitive nipples. When he then began making his way further south Hermione felt a pang of apprehension, although she wasn't sure if that was her response or the response of the Queen.

"Relax." Draco murmured as he continued to kiss lower on her abdomen, indicating that the apprehension was coming from both Hermione and her royal counterpart.

Hermione tried to do as Draco asked and instead of getting anxious over what Draco was about to do she tried to concentrate on the feelings he was creating. Despite trying to relax she couldn't help but be slightly nervous as Draco pulled her towards the edge of the table and spread her legs. However, the second his tongue hit her centre, Hermione forgot all about her apprehension as she moaned at the feeling.

Hermione felt Draco smirk at her reaction as she braced herself against the table. As Draco continued to kiss and lick at her throbbing centre, Hermione moaned wantonly as her hips automatically thrust up against Draco. Placing a hand on Hermione to hold her down, Draco added his fingers to the activity in between Hermione's legs. Minutes later Hermione was moaning Draco's name loudly as she suddenly climaxed.

Hermione collapsed back onto the table as she recovered from her orgasm. While she was catching her breath Draco settled onto a chair and began picking at the breakfast that was sitting on the table. After a couple of minutes Hermione sat up and smiled at her lover.

"I thought you weren't hungry." She said, watching as he picked at the food on the tray.

"I worked up a bit of an appetite." Draco grinned back at Hermione.

Hermione laughed lightly as she hopped off the table and straddled Draco's lap. Reaching her hand down in-between them, Hermione stroked Draco's manhood, bringing him to full arousal. When Draco was ready Hermione raised herself up and impaled herself on him, producing groans from them both.

"Now you can really work up an appetite." She grinned, before crashing their lips together.

**:::::::::::::::**

Hermione was in a cheerful mood as she said goodbye to King Albus and Queen Minerva. After the declarations of love the previous night with Draco, she was looking forward to returning to Slytherin. While she had thoroughly enjoyed her trip back home to Gryffindor, it was easier to sneak around with her lover back in Slytherin. Apart from Sir Ron, who was scowling on the side lines, the goodbyes were light-hearted as everyone knew in a few months they would be meeting again at the tournament.

Once the goodbyes were over, the party from Slytherin mounted their horses and set off back home. Once the group was on the path back home Sir Theodore and Ginny rode ahead whilst Draco and Hermione rode side by side a few metres behind them.

"How did you enjoy visiting Gryffindor?" Hermione asked her lover.

"Last night and this morning were definite highlights." Draco replied, flashing Hermione a wicked grin. "Last night, especially." He added, turning serious.

"Last night was special for me as well." Hermione agreed. "But how was the rest of your visit?" She asked.

"The kingdom is really nice, your father seems like a good man and most of the knights are really friendly."

"Only most?" Hermione questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"For some reason Sir Ron wasn't my biggest fan." Draco retorted. "I can't imagine why."

"He would be even less of a fan if he knew just how close you are to me." Hermione said.

"That's something no-one will ever know." Draco sighed sadly.

Hermione sighed along with Draco. It pained her to know that she would never be able to show how important the man next to her was, and what he truly meant to her. Despite never being able to tell people about their love Hermione wasn't planning on letting Draco slip through her fingers. Even if they could only be together in secret, it was worth it for the happiness she gained by being with him.

The rest of the trip passed smoothly, for the main part Hermione and Draco were left alone to talk but after their first discussion they kept the conversation neutral so if Ginny or Sir Theodore overheard them they wouldn't hear anything incriminating. It wasn't until the last hour of the journey that Draco took the lead while Ginny dropped back to ride with Hermione and Sir Theodore brought up the rear.

When they arrived back at the castle, Hermione was surprised they didn't have a welcoming party, the only person waiting for them was Sir Blaise. When they alighted the horses Sir Blaise informed Draco that the King was busy in the council chambers but he wished to see him immediately. He also informed Hermione that King Severus apologised for not meeting her upon her return but that they would catch up over dinner.

While Draco headed off to see the King, Hermione and Ginny made their way to Hermione's chambers. Minutes after they arrived in the room a servant dropped Hermione's bags off at the room and Ginny began sorting them out.

"Is it weird that I missed this place and that I'm glad to be back?" Ginny asked.

"No." Hermione shook her head as she looked around her room. While her chambers at Gryffindor were nice, these ones were so much more luxurious and comfortable. "This place is home now."

"Is there anything else you want me to do?" Ginny inquired as she finished sorting Hermione's bags.

"Could you organise a bath, please?" Hermione smiled at her friend. "Then you can have the night off. Maybe you can catch up with Sir Blaise."

"Maybe." Ginny shrugged noncommittally as she headed for the door. "I'll see about your bath."

"Thank you, Ginny." Hermione said as she maid left the room.

Once she was alone Hermione pulled off her boots and settled on the window seat to wait for her bath. At times like these Hermione missed the more modern facilities, she would love to sink into a large bubble bath but after hours of riding even the small tubs here were appealing to her.

**::::::::::::**

"Did you enjoy your trip?"

Hermione looked up at King Severus's question. The couple were currently in the dining hall having dinner and so far he had been quite quiet. Hermione had wondered if something was wrong but now she suspected that he had just being waiting for the servants to leave before he engaged her in conversation.

"I did." Hermione replied. "It was nice to see my parents."

"How are your parents?" King Severus asked. "I trust your mother is feeling better."

"Mother is fine now, and father is also good. They're both looking forward to the upcoming tournament."

"So they'll both be coming?" The King inquired.

"Yes, I think so." Hermione replied. "Father normally attends tournaments and mother usually accompanies him."

"It'll be nice to see them again." King Severus nodded.

"I'm sure they're looking forward to seeing you. Father was asking after you." Hermione said.

"What did you say?"

"Not a lot." Hermione shrugged. "I said you were fine and sent your regards."

Hermione watched with interest as King Severus visibly relaxed. He'd been tense all evening and Hermione was beginning to suspect that he had been worried about what she had told her parents about him. She wasn't stupid and she knew that if she mentioned that their marriage hadn't been consummated, her father would be unimpressed and demand King Severus does his husbandly duty. Hermione really didn't want that to happen so she had no intention of ever saying anything, she was quite happy with people thinking everything was perfect in her marriage. Luckily for her the King seemed to be in complete agreement with her and he was just as happy keeping up the charade as she was.

"Did you discuss anything else with your parents?" King Severus asked.

"My father was most impressed with Sir Draco." Hermione said, deciding to sing the praises of her lover. "He's looking forward to seeing him compete in the tournament."

"Aren't we all?" The King smirked. "I'm very confident he'll win. It would be nice to have a home champion."

"Yes, it would." Hermione agreed, hoping Draco did in fact win the tournament.

"We'll have to be making preparations soon." The King said. "Will you be interested in helping?"

"I would love to." Hermione smiled genuinely at the offer. It was the first time the King had included her in anything official and she was pleased that he had finally given her something more constructive to do.

"Good." The King smiled, seemingly pleased that Hermione had accepted his offer. "Over the next week or so we should be receiving the documentation of official entrants. Our men will also need to be sorted out and officially entered into the tournament. Then there is the accommodation and everything to sort."

"Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll organise as much as I can." Hermione told the King.

The King nodded and for the next hour the royal couple discussed the tournament. As they talked Hermione couldn't help but notice a change in King Severus, now he was sure that she hadn't complained about him to her father he seemed much more at ease with her.

When the conversation was over the King walked Hermione to her bedchambers, as per their weekly routine. When they passed a couple of knights and a servant Hermione could swear he gripped onto her tighter and moved closer to her. Like always she got the impression that the walk was a carefully rehearsed show to convince people that at least once a week they were doing their marital duties. Considering what she was really doing in her spare time, Hermione was more than happy to act the part and convince the castle their marriage was a normal, healthy one, not a completely sexless one.


	15. Chapter 15

Hermione and Ginny sat on a low wall, watching the knights training for the upcoming tournament. They had been back from Gryffindor for a few weeks and with the tournament fast approaching the knights were spending all their spare time in training. Since returning from Gryffindor Hermione had experienced things in little bursts again, although she remembered everything perfectly and knew exactly how busy she had been preparing for the tournament.

Because Hermione had been busy organising the tournament and events surrounding it and Draco had been busy training the couple had spent very little time together recently. As such Hermione was making the most of watching her lover training, she just hoped the arousal she felt watching him wasn't too evident. While the knights often practised in full armour they were currently practising in their regular clothes. Draco was currently wearing a white shirt, which clung to his body in the heat. The sight was almost proving too much for Hermione and several times she had to force herself to stop staring. Luckily the only other person around was Ginny and the redhead seemed equally distracted by the other knights on display.

Hermione was so engrossed in the action on the training field that she barely registered King Severus appearing and sitting down next to her. Hermione greeted the King politely but quickly returned her attention back to the knights, or more specifically Draco.

"Can I get you anything, Sire?" Hermione vaguely heard Ginny ask the King.

"No thank you, Ginevra."

Hermione's head whipped round at the King's response and she looked on in shock at the smile he bestowed upon her maid. Hermione wasn't aware the King knew Ginny's name, let alone that fact he seemed to know her given name that she rarely used.

"Just let me know if you need anything." Ginny replied, smiling at the older King. "Anything at all."

"I will." The King smirked and Hermione could have sworn that he checked Ginny out.

Hermione watched the entire exchange in shock, before she turned her head back towards the training field. However, she now wasn't paying attention to the knight's, she was thinking about what she had just witnessed. She would have sworn that Ginny and King Severus were flirting with each other and as much as she hated to think about it she thought she had spotted a flicker of sexual tension simmering between the pair. Hermione was not only repulsed by the fact her best friend and maid was flirting with the King, who also happened to be her husband, but that fact that Ginny was flirting with Snape. Hermione already had more than enough to deal with regarding her Potions professor and she really didn't need the image of the pair flirting in her head.

"They're good aren't they?" The King asked, drawing Hermione's attention away from her disturbing thoughts.

"Very." Hermione admitted. "I've never seen the Gryffindor knights work this hard."

"That's because Sir Draco is a hard taskmaster." The King chuckled. "I'm glad I don't have to train with them."

"I heard you were pretty good with a sword." Hermione commented. She'd heard her father mention the rival King's sword skills on many an occasion growing up and he had again brought it up on her recent visit home.

"I was, in my youth." The King said, downplaying his skills. "But that was a long time ago, these days I'm more than happy to watch the younger men in action."

"That's what my father used to say when I was growing up." Hermione chuckled. "Although he would then spend the entire tournament wishing he was competing."

"I'm sure your father could have gone on competing for a lot longer than he did. I saw him fight once when I was a young prince, he was quite impressive."

"More impressive than that?" Hermione asked, gesturing at Sir Draco who was busy fighting two men at once.

Hermione and King Severus watched the top knight for a few minutes. The blond effortlessly weaved amongst the other knights, his blade never stopped moving as he quite easily disarmed the lot of them. Once the knights were re-armed he began again, taking the men on one at a time and dispatching them with ease.

"I'm not sure you can get more impressive than that." King Severus replied, after watching Draco in action. "Sir Draco is a rare talent."

Hermione mumbled an agreement as she once again lost herself in watching Draco training. She was still watching the knights ten minutes later when King Severus announced he was heading indoors. Out of the corner of her eye Hermione spotted the King and Ginny sharing a quick smile before he left.

"Were you just flirting with my husband?" Hermione asked Ginny, once the King was out of earshot.

"Whatever gave you that impression?" Ginny asked. "I was just being friendly. The King is a nice man."

Hermione nodded but she was watching Ginny's reaction carefully. After years of being friends she knew her friend pretty well and it was clear from the way she spoke about the King that she had some sort of feelings for him. Hermione wasn't sure exactly what was going on there, she was actually hoping it was just a harmless crush on Ginny's part, anything else would just be too horrid to think about.

**:::::::::::**

Hermione's suspicions about Ginny and the King continued to fester for the rest of the day. All day Hermione watched Ginny carefully whenever the King was mentioned, but she never noticed anything strange about her maid. Hermione even mentioned Ginny a few times over dinner but King Severus seemed totally oblivious to the existence of the redhead. Hermione was trying to convince herself she had been imagining things earlier in the day, but that was easier said than done. Despite trying to convince herself nothing was happening between her maid and husband, Hermione couldn't shake the memories of witnessing the pair of them exchanging warm smiles.

Hermione was still slightly distracted by the thoughts when Draco came to her chambers after dinner. However, the blond knight's presence in her room distracted her for a while. Before Draco had arrived Hermione had yet again arranged the cushions in front of the fire, so they could curl up in front of the flames. For a while Hermione was quite content to snuggle up with Draco as they ate their way through a bowl of strawberries and sat talking.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked after Hermione had lapsed into silence.

"I'm fine." Hermione sighed.

"Clearly you're not." Draco replied. "What's bothering you?"

"I witnessed something odd earlier today." Hermione admitted. "When we were watching the training the King came to watch for a bit."

"I noticed. But that's not odd, he often watches us train."

"That wasn't the odd thing." Hermione paused, wondering if she should really be talking about this to Draco.

"Well, what was the odd thing?" Draco prompted.

"I think he was flirting with Ginny." Hermione said quietly. Hearing it being said out loud was making the situation even stranger for Hermione.

Draco chuckled at the thought. "I didn't know the King was the flirting type."

"Neither did I." Hermione muttered. "I thought he wasn't interested in women and sex."

"You sound jealous." Draco noted. "I thought you liked the fact he doesn't bother you in that department."

"I do. I have no desire to share his bed." Hermione reassured Draco.

"So what's the problem?" Draco asked.

"I don't know, it was just weird watching them together." Hermione shrugged. "He's never shown any interest in me and it was slightly unnerving to see him looking at Ginny like he did."

"Are you sure you're not jealous?" Draco asked, sounding upset.

"I'm sure." Hermione said. "I just don't understand why he's never shown any interest in me and he's smiling and flirting with my maid."

"Probably because Ginny is exactly his type." Draco chuckled.

"What do you mean she's his type?" Hermione asked.

"She's a servant." Draco replied. "That's how the King likes his women, in a position where they can't refuse him if they want to keep their job."

"Are you telling me King Severus regularly beds the maids?" Hermione was totally shocked with Draco's implication and she was sure she had misunderstood what he was saying.

"Yes." Draco nodded. "He's been doing it for years."

"So he's not as sexless as I thought." Hermione muttered. "So if he isn't against sex, why hasn't he bothered me? Even though I'm really pleased he hasn't tried anything, as his wife he's entitled to expect something from me?"

"My guess is, he's never tried anything with you because he's afraid of you turning him down." Draco explained.

"As much as I would want to turn him down, I can't." Hermione said. "It's expected that I'll allow him into my bed."

"That wouldn't be a problem if he expected something normal from you." Draco smirked. "But the King likes it rough."

"What do you mean by rough?" Hermione questioned.

"He's likes to dominate in the bedroom and he's not against using restraints."

"How do you know this?" Hermione looked at Draco in bemusement, wondering how long he had known about the King's kinks.

"The maid's like to gossip." Draco shrugged. "The whole kingdom knows what he's like, we just don't spread it around."

"Has anyone ever refused him?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sure some have." Draco responded. "There's being a few maids that haven't lasted long but on the whole I think most of the girls in the castle don't mind servicing the King."

"And you think Ginny is one of those maids?" Hermione questioned.

"I don't like to cast aspersions, but your maid has a bit of a reputation." Draco spoke warily, as if he was unsure how Hermione would react to his words.

"Tell me about it." Hermione laughed. "She may be my best friend, but I know exactly what she's like."

"She might not have slept with him though." Draco pointed out.

"I'm sure if she hasn't already, then she will." Hermione responded. Now she knew King Severus wasn't as sexless as she thought she had no doubt that her maid would end up in his bed. "Although, I'm still not sure why he hasn't bothered me in that way, not that I'd be up for anything kinky."

"Shame, that could have been fun." Draco grinned mischievously.

Hermione smiled and leant forward, until her lips were inches away from Draco's. "I didn't say I wouldn't be up for anything kinky with you." She whispered, before pressing her lips against Draco's.

Draco kissed Hermione for a few minutes before he pulled back. "Seriously though, I'm betting the reason he hasn't bothered you will be because he's afraid of your reaction. According to one of the maids the only way he can perform is if he has total control over the situation and the woman in his bed at completely at his mercy."

"And if he tried that with me, he would have been worried I'd be disgusted." Hermione nodded, suddenly understanding why the King had never bothered her in a sexual way.

"Exactly, he wouldn't want you running back to your father and telling him that he had married you off to a kinky king." Draco said. "He was also taking a gamble by not taking you to bed, but he probably figured you didn't want to sleep with him anyway so you were less likely to go and complain about him to your father."

"That's what he was checking with you when we returned from Gryffindor, wasn't it?" Hermione asked, suddenly remembering the way King Severus had summoned Draco as soon as they returned. "He was asking if I complained about him."

"It was one of the things he asked." Draco admitted. "He was more concerned that the trip ran smoothly, but he did ask about what you had told your parents about him."

"What did you say?"

"I told him the truth, that as far as I knew you only said nice things about him." Draco replied.

"Which I did." Hermione said. "The last thing I want is for my parents to find out things aren't the way they hoped. I really don't want them pressuring us to consummate the marriage."

"So what I've told you hasn't piqued your interest in the King?" Draco teased.

Despite Draco's teasing tone, Hermione could hear the uncertainty in his voice. It was clear from her lover's reaction that she had given him the wrong impression, all she wanted to know was what was so wrong with her that the King wasn't interested in sleeping with her. Instead she seemed to have given Draco the impression she was jealous of the maids he was sleeping with.

"No." Hermione shook her head solemnly. "I've never been interested in the King and what you've told me has only turned me off further."

"I thought you said you weren't opposed to getting kinky?" Draco smiled.

"I said I wouldn't be opposed to getting kinky with you. There's a big difference between you and the King." Hermione smiled at Draco as she moved closer to him and straddled his hips. "I really don't what the King anywhere near me, but I have no objection to anything you want to do to me."

Draco smiled as he reached up and pushed a curl of Hermione's hair out of her face. "I love you." He said softly.

"I love you, too." Hermione smiled as she bent her head and connected their lips together. "Do you want to discuss something kinkier?" She asked, when they parted for air.

Draco shook his head. "Not tonight. Tonight, I just want you."

Hermione smiled as they resumed their kiss, talk of the King and his conquests forgotten as hands started to wander and clothes started to come off.


	16. Chapter 16

Standing on the steps of the castle, Hermione tried to focus her thoughts and concentrate on what she was doing. Today they were welcoming the guests from the neighbouring kingdoms, who were arriving to attend the tournament which started the following day. Hermione's mind however, was stuck on the King and her maid and what they were getting up to in their spare time.

It had been nearly three weeks since her initial talk with Draco and since then her lover had informed her that Ginny was fast becoming the only maid King Severus took to bed. While the Queen was disturbed by the news, Hermione was downright disgusted and appalled. Hermione was beginning to dread the end of the story, when she would return to reality. Facing Draco would be embarrassing enough but now she wouldn't ever be able to look at Ginny and Snape in the same light again, every time she saw her friend and Potions Professor she would remember her experiences here and what the pair had been getting up to.

Hermione's focus was returned to the present when it was announced the party for Ravenclaw were arriving. Plastering a smile on her face, Hermione stepped forward with King Severus as the royal carriage and several knights on horseback entered the courtyard. When the carriage ground to a halt King Filius stepped out of the carriage and greeted the King. He then turned to Hermione and she greeted the royal counterpart to her Charms Professor.

Once the greeting were done, Hermione summoned a few servants to take the Ravenclaw party to their rooms. The knights of Ravenclaw were escorted to their rooms by a few knights of Slytherin and the royal carriage was taken from the courtyard as the group prepared to greet the next arrivals.

The next arrivals were from Hufflepuff, Queen Pomona and her knights. The greetings ran exactly the same, with Hermione effortlessly moving the party into the castle without seeming too pushy. After the party from Hufflepuff came a few minor kingdoms, who were all only entering a few men in the tournament.

After what seemed like hours of smiling politely at visiting dignitaries, Hermione was relieved to hear the last party was approaching. The last party was the group from Gryffindor and as they entered the courtyard Hermione's smile suddenly became genuine at the sight of her friends and family. When the royal coach pulled up the two Kings greeted each other while Hermione and Queen Minerva shared a hug. Hermione then hugged King Albus as the old man turned to his daughter.

"I'll show you to your chambers." Hermione offered to her parents. While the servants had shown everyone else to their rooms, Hermione had wanted to walk her parents to their room herself.

As Hermione headed up the stairs with the King and Queen of Gryffindor, she spotted Draco talking to the knights of Gryffindor. Apart from Sir Ron, who was scowling at the blond knight, the others looked pleased to see Draco and they followed after him happily as he took them to where they were staying with the other visiting knights.

**::::::::::**

Hermione sat on her throne, trying to look like she was paying attention to King Severus's speech. Today was the opening day of the tournament and the King was opening the tournament officially. Hermione and the other royalty were sitting in the royal box in the custom built fighting arena. The arena would stage the first two stages of the tournament, before the action shifted to the jousting arena for the final in two days' time.

Instead of paying attention to the King's rather boring and long winded speech Hermione scanned the competing knights, looking for Draco. Everyone who was competing was assembled in the arena, listening to King Severus. As the King carried on talking Hermione easily found Draco, with his platinum blond hair he tended to stick out from the crowd. Sharing a quick smile with her lover, Hermione turned her attention back to her husband, who was just beginning to explain the rules.

The rules for the tournament were very simple and easy to follow. Today was the hand to hand combat where half the competitors were to be eliminated. Each knight was randomly paired with another knight and the duo fought in the arena, the winner progressed to the following days sword fight whilst the loser was eliminated. The sword fights the following day were three tiered, you had to win all three of your rounds to progress to the final. Only four knights would progress to the final, which was a jousting tournament. From the jousting tournament an overall winner would be determined.

"Let the tournament begin." King Severus boomed as he ended his speech to much applause and cheering.

As the King settled back down next to Hermione, the knights made their way out of the arena. Once the arena was clear the first two knights were called into battle. After a few fights Hermione decided she didn't like hand to hand combat, she'd seen sword fighting and jousting in training and in films and television programmes she had watched but the hand to hand was boring and often over very quickly.

Hermione was so bored that the only time she really paid any attention was when a knight from Gryffindor or Slytherin participated. Sir Neville, Sir Gregory, Sir Dean and Sir Seamus all fought pretty early in the day and Hermione was pleased to see them all progress. She had to wait until after lunch for any more knights of Gryffindor or Slytherin to fight, but when they did Sir Theodore, Sir Blaise, Sir Harry and Sir Ron all progressed smoothly.

Watching Harry and Ron fight was a strange experience for Hermione. As far as she knew neither of her friends were strong fighters so it was odd to see them ducking and weaving with such skill. Hermione also had to deal with her mixed emotions regarding their wins, obviously she wanted them both to do well but she couldn't deny she didn't want either of them winning the tournament. Not only did Queen Hermione want Sir Draco to win, but Hermione herself did. Over the last few months Hermione had come to realise a lot of the feelings the Queen had towards the blond were shared by her, the only problem was she now thought she was going to end up leaving the story with an even bigger crush on Draco.

The most involved Hermione got in the proceedings was when it was Sir Draco's turn to fight. He was one of the last fights of the day and with all the waiting Hermione was a nervous wreck inside when he strolled into the arena. Despite being confident in his fighting skills, Hermione's heart was in her mouth as she watched her lover compete. Throughout the whole fight Hermione had to fight to remain composed and to look impartial, even though she couldn't stop the huge grin that appeared on her face when Draco won.

"I take it you're supporting Sir Draco." Queen Minerva commented from her seat next to Hermione.

"I am." Hermione nodded. She knew as long as she kept her real feelings in check that no-one would think it was odd that she was supporting Draco, he was the best knight in Slytherin and she was the Queen so it was only natural she should be supporting him.

Queen Minerva nodded in response. "It's only natural that you'd support your best knight. Even though it's odd to see you supporting someone other than a Gryffindor."

Hermione chuckled softly as the two women returned their attention to the remaining couple of fights. It definitely felt odd to be supporting a Slytherin over the Gryffindor men, but it felt right to be supporting Draco.

**:::::::::::**

On the second morning of the tournament Hermione entered the royal box at King Severus's side, eager to watch Draco fight. Earlier that morning Hermione had been watching her lover practice from the window in her chambers, and he look pretty impressive. Hermione had spent nearly half an hour ogling the blond knight and until he had looked up and smirked at her before he finished, she had thought he hadn't noticed she had been watching him.

Settling into her seat Hermione tuned out the King, who once again made an overly long speech before declaring the second event ready to begin. The morning was scheduled to hold the first round of the sword fights, with the second and third round taking place on the afternoon. Like the hand to hand combat the previous day the format was simple, if you lost you were out of the tournament and if you won you progressed to the next round.

Within an hour of the sword fighting beginning both Slytherin and Gryffindor lost their first knight, Sir Neville and Sir Gregory both suffered losses in their opening battles. Swiftly after that however, Sir Theodore and Sir Blaise progressed for Slytherin while Sir Dean and Sir Seamus advanced for Gryffindor. In the middle of the morning there was a bunch of matches Hermione wasn't interested in, but her attention was raised when Sir Harry strode into the arena.

Hermione watched as Sir Harry quickly defeated his opponent from Hufflepuff. While he wasn't quite as skilled as Sir Draco, in Hermione's humble opinion, Sir Harry was still a formidable fighter and a force to be reckoned with in the tournament. Hermione wasn't surprised by the ease in which Sir Harry won his bout, he was Gryffindor's top knight and in all honesty everyone expected him to reach the finals with ease.

After Harry had fought it was the turn of Sir Ron. The redhead made harder work of his fight, but in the end he triumphed and progressed to the next stage. The last fight of the morning was Sir Draco and the blond knight disarmed his opponent in record time, bringing an end to the first round of sword play.

After the first round it was lunch time and Hermione ended up dining with the other royalty. The talk throughout lunch was all about the potential winners of the tournament. Despite King Filius and Queen Pomona trying to talk up their knights' chances the general consensus was that Slytherin and Gryffindor had the top fighters. While debates on exactly who would win raged across the table, Sir Harry and Sir Draco were quickly emerging at the two favourites.

After lunch Hermione and the rest of the spectators gathered in the arena for the second round of battles. The fights in the second round quickly proved longer and tougher and unfortunately Sir Seamus and Sir Theodore both lost in tight battles. Sir Ron was also involved in a long, hard fought battle, but luckily for him he managed to overcome his opponent.

When Draco emerged to fight in the early stages of the second round Hermione was relieved. In both the first round and the hand to hand the previous day, Draco had been one of the last to fight and by the time he entered the arena Hermione was fraught with nerves. This way, Hermione had spent less time worrying about the outcome of the fight so she wasn't quite as nervous. As it turned out Hermione didn't have any need to be nervous at all, Draco quickly defeated his opponent and his performance was already a class above everyone else's.

After Sir Draco's impressive win there were quick and easy wins for Sir Harry and Sir Blaise. Both men showed plenty of flair and skill, setting themselves up to be serious competition for Sir Draco. After those three impressive performances the only other fight of any note was the one involving Sir Dean. The Knight from Gryffindor was involved in a lengthy tussle with Sir Justin of Hufflepuff and the upper hand seesawed from one to the other before Sir Dean managed to disarm his opponent.

Before the final round there was a short break and Hermione used the opportunity to go and speak to Draco. The competing knights had tents set up near to the arena, where they rested between rounds and prepared for their next fight. Sir Draco was sharing a tent with the other Slytherin knights, so when Hermione entered it she was confronted by three men in armour. Sir Gregory had already joined the crowds watching and Sir Theodore was gathering his belongings and exiting the tent.

"My Lady." Sir Theodore bowed to Hermione, before he shuffled off moaning about his loss.

"I just came to wish you both good luck." Hermione told the two remaining knights.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Sir Blaise nodded as he picked up his sword and shield. "If you'll excuse me, I'm fighting first and need to warm up."

Hermione made sure Blaise had left and was out of earshot before she turned to Draco, smiling widely at her lover. "You were very impressive." She told him as she stalked towards the blond knight.

"Thank you, My Lady." Draco grinned, pulling Hermione into his body when she was close enough for him to reach her. "I'm pleased you enjoyed the show."

"I did, very much." Hermione purred, looking up at Draco. "I can't wait to celebrate tonight after you're in the final."

"What if I don't make it through to the final?" Draco questioned.

"Then we can't celebrate." Hermione pouted. "But that won't happen. You'll win your last fight and we can spend the night celebrating."

"If the reward of winning my next fight is a night celebrating with you, then I'm definitely going to win." Draco grinned before engaging Hermione in a passionate kiss.

Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and returned the kiss with feeling. After a few minutes however, she reluctantly pulled away and stepped out of his arms.

"I have to go and take my seat." She said. "Good luck and make sure you win."

"I will." Draco replied as Hermione turned and left the tent.

After leaving Draco, Hermione made her way back to the royal box. As she slipped into her seat no-one commented on her absence or asked where she had been. If they had asked she would have been perfectly honest with them and revealed she had been wishing Sir Blaise and Sir Draco good luck in their final fight. No-one needed to know exactly what sort of incentive she was offering Draco if he should progress through to the final.

The third and final round of sword fighting consisted of four fights and all of them held some interest to Hermione. The first fight was between Sir Blaise and Sir Dean, while Sir Ron was in the second bout, Sir Harry in the third and Sir Draco was in the last fight.

The first fight between Sir Blaise and Sir Dean was a long one, but eventually the previous fight Sir Dean had participated in started to take its toll and Sir Blaise gained the upper hand. Once Sir Blaise got the upper hand he quickly finished off the fight and emerged victorious. After the drama of the first fight the next three were all more one sided, with Sir Harry, Sir Ron and Sir Draco emerging as victors. Sir Harry and Sir Draco both won easily and fairly quickly and although Sir Ron's fight was longer and tougher he still prevailed in dominant style.

After the sword fights King Severus gathered the top four knights in the arena and publically announced them as finalists. As the knights soaked up the adoration Hermione couldn't help but share a secretive smile with Draco. He'd done exactly as he'd promised and won his final fight, meaning they would be celebrating in bed later on.


	17. Chapter 17

Hermione rolled over and buried her head in the pillow as Ginny bustled about the room. After spending most of the previous night in Draco's arms, Hermione was still tired and wanted nothing more than to carry on sleeping. However, it was the jousting final that afternoon and the champion's ball was being held the night and Hermione was in charge of everything running smoothly.

Reluctantly Hermione threw the covers back and forced herself to get up out of bed. While her maid cheerily chatted about the jousting that afternoon, Hermione got washed and ate her breakfast. Once she had eaten, Hermione picked out her outfit for the day and Ginny helped her dress.

"I'm going down to check on final arrangements for this evening." Hermione told Ginny. "I don't think I'll need you until tonight, so you can have the whole day off."

"I'm sure I can find a way to fill in my time this morning." Ginny smiled. "Of course this afternoon, I'll be at the jousting."

"I think the whole kingdom will be there." Hermione replied. "Not the mention the dozens of people that have travelled to watch the tournament."

"I'll see you this afternoon, then." Ginny gave Hermione a quick wave as she skipped out of the room and disappeared down the corridor.

As Hermione headed down to the ballroom she tried not to think of where Ginny was spending the morning, or more precisely who she was spending it with. It certainly hadn't escaped Hermione's attention that Ginny had headed in the direction you would go if you were visiting the other side of the castle, where the King's chambers were located. Shaking off the disturbing thoughts that were creeping into her head Hermione set about checking everything was in place and sorted for that evening.

Hermione spent all morning in the ballroom, talking with the servants and handling a couple of last minute crises. Finally satisfied everything was sorted and the night would be a success, Hermione headed back to her chambers for lunch. After eating she double checked her appearance before she left to attend the tournament.

As Hermione was heading to the jousting arena she caught sight of the four tents set up for the finalists and she had an overwhelming urge to speak to Draco. A quick look at the horses tied up outside each tent and the equipment laid out beside them led Hermione to the tent were her lover was busy preparing for the afternoon. Making sure no-one spotted her, Hermione hurried over to the tent and slipped inside.

"I wasn't expecting to see you before the first joust." Draco commented as his secret lover appeared in his tent.

"I wanted to wish you good luck." Hermione smiled. "I never got a chance this morning, you left so early."

"I didn't want to risk Ginny finding us together." Draco explained. "But I would much rather have woken up beside you. I've never done that before."

Hermione nodded, understanding the desire to wake up together. The one time Hermione had woken wrapped in Draco's arms there had been someone at the door and she was so distracted by the fact they could be caught that she didn't get time to enjoy the feeling of waking up with the man she loved.

"Maybe one day, you'll get the chance." Hermione said.

"Maybe." Draco agreed, even though they both knew the likelihood of that happening was remote. "Anyway, you came to wish me luck." Draco smiled, trying to lighten the mood that had gotten distinctly gloomy.

"I did, didn't I?" Hermione smiled as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Draco's neck, pulling the blond as close to her as he could get. "Good luck, Draco."

As soon as she had finished speaking Hermione closed the gap between her lips and Draco's, pressing them gently together. Draco automatically wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist and pressed her body into his as he deepened the kiss. Hermione moaned softly as Draco's tongue slipped into her mouth and his hands caressed her backside through the material of her dress. When Hermione's hands began wandering down Draco's torso, she groaned in disappointment when she encountered the cold metal of his armour. Breaking the kiss she pulled away scowling at the sight of Draco already clad in his entire suit of armour, the only thing missing was his helmet.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, looking puzzled by Hermione's reaction to the kiss.

"I don't like your armour." Hermione pouted, drumming her fingers on his breastplate. "I can't feel you."

"I know what you mean." Draco agreed with a smirk. "With my armour on I can't feel your amazing body pressed against mine."

"I might have to come back after the tournament and help you out of it." Hermione grinned cheekily at Draco. "That way I get to feel the real you, not a metal version."

"I like that idea." Draco smiled back at the Queen. "Do I have to win the tournament to get the Queen's personal attention or do I get it anyway?"

"I'm sure you'd get it anyway, but if you win the tournament I promise to be very nice to you." Hermione leant forward and pecked Draco quickly on the lips, pulling back before he had a chance to embrace her and deepen the kiss. "I have to go now before someone comes looking for me. Good luck."

Hermione smiled at Draco before she quickly darted out of the tent and hurried off in the direction of the jousting stand. When she arrived at the royal box King Albus and Queen Minerva were just taking their seats and there were still several empty seats, including the one for her husband.

Hermione had barely sat down when King Severus arrived, looking very pleased with something. As Hermione watched the King take his place she spotted Ginny settling into the neighbouring stand. The redheaded maid was wearing a look very similar to the King's, leaving Hermione to conclude that her earlier ideas of where Ginny had spent the morning were right.

Shaking off thoughts of her husband and friend together, Hermione turned her attention to the tournament. The first match was being prepared for and Hermione wasn't surprised to find it was between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor. While she hadn't seen the schedule or knew who was competing first it made sense to pit the two Slytherin knights against the two Gryffindor knights. Like the previous rounds the jousting was also a knockout situation, the winners of the two matches would progress to the final where they would compete for the title.

Less than ten minutes after Hermione had sat down the jousting was set to begin. Once all the royalty had arrived and the knights were ready King Severus gave yet another speech before starting the final phase of the tournament. The first jousting match was between Sir Blaise and Sir Harry, meaning Sir Draco was taking on Sir Ron in the second joust.

As the joust began Hermione watched intently. As Queen Hermione she had seen jousting tournaments before and knew the rules but for Hermione this was all a new experience. Because the Queen knew the rules, Hermione knew the rules so she knew how to keep a check on who was winning. It was actually fairly easy to keep track, each knight had three lances to use and when they were broke the match was over. Every time you broke a lance you earned points for where on the opponent's body it had broken and the knight with the most points at the end was the winner.

After the first round the points were equal at one point each. Both Sir Blaise and Sir Harry had broken their lances on the other's chests, earning them a point each. After each knight had received a new lance they lined up for the second round. In the second round Sir Harry got the upper hand, breaking his lance on Sir Blaise's helmet and earning himself a further two points, while Sir Blaise merely struck a glancing blow and received no points. After Sir Harry had armed himself with his third and final lance the scene was set for another round, if the Knight from Gryffindor managed to shatter his lance the match would be over. Unluckily for Sir Harry he only managed a glancing blow to Sir Blaise and didn't receive any points, but luckily for him Sir Blaise only managed a single point, meaning he was still ahead in the point's total. As the final round began the crowd watched with bated breath as both men struck each other in the chest. The one point they each received for the blow was enough for Sir Harry to be declared the winner, by four points to three.

After the first match there was a slight pause as the arena was prepared for the second match and the two knights introduced to the crowd. After a good fifteen minutes or so, Sir Draco and Sir Ron were on their horses, waiting for the beginning of the match. Hermione was much more nervous for this match and she was sure her anxiety was visible if anyone was watching her closely, luckily though everyone was focused on the jousting match that was about to begin.

When the trumpet sounded, signalling the start of the round, Hermione found herself holding her breath as the two knights rushed each other. When they collided in the middle Hermione winced as both lances shattered, Sir Ron's from coming into contact with Sir Draco's chest while Sir Draco had landed a blow on Sir Ron's helmet. The second round produced exactly the same result and with Sir Draco now leading four points to Sir Ron's two, only a hit to Sir Draco's helmet and the blond knight missing his target completely or a de-horsing could win the match for the Gryffindor knight.

Hermione was openly nervous as the third bout got under way. When the two knights clashed in the middle and one of them came flying off his horse Hermione gasped and stood up for a better view, just like the rest of the royal box and the other people in the crowd. While some people were unsure which knight was lying on the floor Hermione knew it was Sir Ron, meaning that her lover had won the second match and would advance into the final.

After it was checked that Sir Ron was okay, Sir Draco was announced as the winner. Hermione watched in amusement as the knight lapped up the attention, yet again Sir Draco was reminding her of the real Draco. The previous year during a Quidditch match he had caught the snitch in rather spectacular fashion and he had basked in the applause of the crowds, very much like Sir Draco was currently doing.

After the second match there was a half hour before the final was to be held. Instead of leaving the arena everyone stayed in their seats and talked amongst themselves. Hermione found herself talking to Queen Minerva and several times her mother had brought up the topic of Sir Draco. By the end of the conversation Hermione was beginning to wonder if the Queen of Gryffindor was more observant that she had given her credit for. While Queen Minerva had never told Hermione she knew or even suspected what was happening between her and her knight, Hermione still got the distinct impression the older woman knew more than she was letting on.

Before Hermione had a chance to worry about what the other Queen did or didn't know the final of the jousting was announced. Settling into her seat Hermione tried to remain composed as Sir Draco and Sir Harry lined up for the first round. Her composure however flew out of the window when the match began and the two knights rode straight at each other, lances clashing in a shower of wood.

The first round ended with both men scoring a point for breaking their lance on the other's chest. The second round was a conclusive victory for Sir Draco, he earned two points while Sir Harry failed to score. The third, and ultimately final round, produced the same result as round two. Sir Harry failed to get a clean hit on Sir Draco while the blond knight broke his lance on the Gryffindor knight's helmet, nearly knocking him off his horse in the process.

While the final may not have been as exciting as the battle between Sir Draco and Sir Ron, there were still loud cheers and shouts when the Slytherin knight emerged victorious. Both Hermione and King Severus were amongst those cheering as they celebrated their top knight doing what was expected of him and winning the tournament.

After the fighting came another lengthy speech from King Severus as he praised the winner and all the knights that had taken part in the tournament. After the speech people went their separate ways as the celebrating began. While there may have been an official feast and ball in honour of the new champion taking place in the castle, the people of Slytherin still planned on celebrating their knight being crowned champion and a night of drinking and fun was clearly on the cards.

Making their way from the royal box, Hermione and King Severus stopped by to congratulate Sir Draco. As Hermione was congratulating her lover she managed to whisper a message to him, she wanted him in her chambers as soon as possible and he wasn't to remove his armour before then. Draco nodded quickly, letting Hermione know he had the message. Hermione smiled as she and the King left their top knight to celebrate with the other knights and the many well-wishers that were lining up to congratulate the champion.


	18. Chapter 18

The sound of metal clanking against the wood of the table was the only sound in the room as Hermione stripped Draco of his armour, piece by piece. Draco was standing beside the large wooden table as Hermione slowly removed his armour, taking the time to kiss and caress him whenever she removed a piece.

When all of Draco's armour was removed, Hermione ran her hands down Draco's chest before she removed his top. Smiling up at Draco, Hermione continued to run her hands over his now bare torso. Scratching her nails on his abdomen slightly, Hermione made her way around his body until she was standing behind her lover. Hermione pressed a series of gentle kisses to Draco's shoulder blades as her hands snaked down to his trousers and began untying the laces on them. Hermione remained behind Draco as she pushed his trousers down his legs.

One of Hermione's hands came round and caressed Draco's backside before she slowly walked around him so she was once again standing in front of her lover. Stepping closer to Draco, Hermione leant up and connected her lips with Draco's. Hermione moaned softly into the kiss as she felt Draco's hard manhood pressed against her. When Draco's hands settled on the laces at the back of her dress, Hermione broke the kiss and shook her head at her lover.

"Not yet." She grinned. "I'm not finished with you, yet."

Hermione reached back up towards Draco, but instead of kissing her lover on the lips she pressed a soft kiss onto the side of his jaw. From there she slowly began kissing her way down Draco's neck and onto his chest. Stopping briefly she swirled her tongue around Draco's nipples before she continued her descent down his body. Settling on her knees Hermione finally found herself facing the part of her lover she planned on showering with attention.

Neither the Queen nor Hermione herself had ever done anything like this before so she was slightly hesitant. Despite not being overly confident in her actions, Hermione slowly took Draco into her mouth. Not quite sure of what to do Hermione decided to experiment, using a combination of her hand and mouth she touched, licked and kissed Draco. Despite her lack of experience Hermione was pleased she seemed to be doing something right as Draco was soon moaning and panting at her actions.

When Draco gently tangled his hand in Hermione's hair she let out a moan that caused Draco's hand to tighten in her curls. Realising the noises she made was something Draco liked Hermione moaned around Draco's member as she continued to experiment with her tongue and lips.

Hermione's actions soon had Draco teetering on the verge of orgasm. He tried to warn Hermione of his impending climax but instead of stopping her actions Hermione continued, until Draco reached his peak. Satisfied that she had made Draco orgasm using her mouth, Hermione pulled back from her lover and looked up at him with lust filled eyes. The whole thing had affected her more than she had anticipated and she was now aching for Draco to touch her.

As Hermione clambered to her feet, Draco leant against the table as he tried to regain his senses. While Draco was recovering, Hermione untied her dress and shimmied out of it. Throwing the dress over a nearby chair, Hermione removed her underwear so she was standing naked. Heading towards the bed, she beckoned for Draco to follow her. Draco caught up with Hermione in a couple of steps and whisked her into his arms as he carried her the rest of the way to the bed.

As the couple settled onto the bed, Hermione knew they still had another two hours before Ginny was due to come and help her get ready for the night's ball. Hermione had deliberately told her maid not to come back until later as she had hoped to snatch a few hours with her lover. Luckily for Hermione her plan had worked out perfectly and she and Draco had been able to grab some time together before enduring a whole night where they had to watch how they interacted.

**::::::::::**

Hermione sat in her seat, already bored with the celebrations. Since he was the champion, Draco was sitting a few seats away from Hermione and his close presence was often distracting for her. However, what was worse than having Draco sitting so near was watching him dance with the women at the ball. Hermione herself had danced with the blond knight but the entire experience had been unnerving. Being so close to her lover and having to keep her distance had proved hard for Hermione and she was pleased when the dance had come to an end.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Queen Minerva asked from beside her.

Hermione tore her eyes away from the dance floor, where she had been watching Draco dance with a princess from another kingdom, and turned to face her mother. Smiling at the older woman she claimed to be fine and enjoying the evening.

"You don't really look like someone who's enjoying themselves." Queen Minerva commented. "You look more like someone who's being forced to attend."

"I think I'm just worried about other people enjoying themselves." Hermione said, quickly finding an excuse for her lacklustre response to the night. "This is the first celebration I've organised as Queen and I want it to be perfect. I don't want people going home and complaining that the night was dull."

"That won't be happening. The night is a great success." The older woman reassured her daughter. "It's certainly going much smoother than the first ball I arranged as Queen of Gryffindor."

"What happened?" Hermione questioned, wanting to find something that would take her mind of Draco dancing with numerous other women.

"I accidentally poisoned your grandmother. I hadn't checked if anyone had any allergies and your grandmother was allergic to one of the ingredients in the main course." Queen Minerva said, looking slightly guilty about the incident. "And as if that wasn't bad enough a few of the knights got drunk and two of them started a brawl."

Hermione chuckled at the antidote, all the while being thankful that so far her event had run smoothly. Apart from her, and possibly Draco, everyone else looked to be having a great time. While Hermione hadn't actually been nervous about the night and how it was received she actually found herself relieved as she realised the night was running perfectly.

Hermione's excuse had seemed to work perfectly on her mother, and after Queen Minerva had once again reassured her the ball was a success she turned to address Queen Pomona, who was sitting on her other side. Turning her attention to her other side she found King Severus deep in conversation with King Albus. Hermione was just about to tune out the conversation between her husband and father when she heard her father ask a horrible question.

"So Severus, when can Queen Minerva and I expect our first grandchild?"

Hermione's heart stopped at the question and she had to work hard not to let her horror show on her face. A sly look at her husband showed King Severus seemed just as taken aback by the question. The look however passed so quick that Hermione knew King Albus hadn't spotted it, instead all he saw was the normally composed King of Slytherin.

"These things take time, Albus." King Severus chuckled, doing a very good job at convincing the other King he wasn't opposed to the idea of having children with his wife.

"Not too much time I hope. I'm not getting any younger and I would like to meet my grandchild before I go." King Albus retorted.

"I'm sure you will." King Severus reassured the other King.

Hermione felt ill at her husband's words, she was desperately hoping he was just placating King Albus and didn't mean a word he was saying. The thought of actually having to produce children with the King and everything that it entailed was making her feel queasy. Not to mention the fact Hermione was now deeply in love with Draco and being with someone else, even her husband, would feel like she was cheating on him. Suddenly needing to escape from the conversation that was still taking place between the two kings, Hermione abruptly stood up.

"Where are you going?" King Albus asked his daughter as she backed away from the table.

"I'm not feeling very well, I need some air." Hermione explained, turning and bolting towards the door that led to the gardens.

As she was leaving Hermione vaguely heard King Severus send Draco after her to make sure she came to no harm. Despite knowing her lover was following behind her, Hermione still rushed into the garden and fled as far away from the ballroom as she could go. Stopping at the gazebo, she sat down on the wooden seat and buried her head in her hands.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked softly as he sat down next to Hermione and placed a comforting hand on her back.

"Everything." Hermione whispered as tears started falling from her eyes. Just thinking about the situation she was in was making her feel emotional.

"I don't understand." Draco said, lifting Hermione's head and wiping at her tears with his thumb. "You were happy this afternoon, what's changed?"

"I've just heard my father ask King Severus about grandchildren." Hermione admitted. "I've never thought about it before, but it'll be expected that I'll produce the heir to the throne."

"What did the King say?" Draco asked.

"Not a lot. He tried to skirt around the issue but he did imply there was children somewhere in our future." Hermione sniffed, the tears once again starting to fall. "I can't do that. I can't have children with him."

"Maybe it won't come to that." Draco said hopefully, although his tone sounded forced to Hermione and she could see the concern in his eyes.

"It can't come to that." Whispered Hermione, moving closer to Draco. "I can't go to bed with him, not when I'm in love with you."

"You may not have a choice, darling." Draco responded, wrapping his arm around Hermione and pulling her into his chest. "But whatever happens between you and the King, it won't change how I feel about you. I love you no matter what and nothing will ever change that."

Huddled against Draco's chest, Hermione began sobbing heavier. No matter what Draco said she knew that if she ever slept with the King that it would inevitably change their relationship. She didn't for one minute doubt the blond knight would stop loving her but she wasn't naive enough to think he wouldn't view her differently knowing she had been in the King's bed.

Hermione remained in Draco's arms for nearly ten minutes as her lover calmed her down. When she finally composed herself she checked she looked presentable before her and Draco made their way back indoors. Draco walked Hermione back to her seat, before he left to reclaim his own seat.

"Are you feeling any better, dear?" Queen Minerva asked as Hermione sat down.

"Yes, I'm feeling fine. It just got a bit too hot in here, I needed some air." Hermione smiled.

Both King Albus and King Severus were watching for her answer and once they knew she was feeling fine, they returned to their conversation. Hermione was relieved to hear the conversation had progressed and the two Kings were now dissecting the tournament and how their respective men had performed.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Queen Minerva whispered, once the two men had turned away.

"Yes." Hermione nodded.

"You know you can tell me anything, don't you? I will always be here to listen to you and I'll always support you." Queen Minerva smiled at Hermione and squeezed her hand.

"I know." Hermione whispered, smiling back at her mother.

Yet again Hermione had to wonder how much the other Queen knew about her life and what she was up to. Hermione was convinced that if Queen Minerva didn't definitely know anything was happening between her and Sir Draco she certainly suspected something was going on. Hermione was actually quite pleased that if she needed it she had someone to talk to about Draco and their relationship, even though she was hoping that it didn't come to that. The only way Hermione could honestly see herself confiding in the older Queen was if something terrible happened and her life was in turmoil.


	19. Chapter 19

Hermione pushed the food around on her breakfast plate before finally giving up and putting her fork down. Pushing the plate away from her, she stood up and left the uneaten food on the table. It was the third time that week that Hermione had not eaten breakfast but just lately the sight and smell of food before lunchtime was turning her stomach.

"Are you finished?" Ginny asked, eyeing the untouched plate disapprovingly.

"Yes, I'm not hungry." Hermione replied.

"You haven't ate breakfast all week." Ginny stated. "It's not good for you to be skipping meals."

"I'm fine." Hermione sighed. "I'm just a bit run down from the tournament."

"The tournament was three weeks ago." Ginny retorted.

Hermione sighed and ignored her friend's arguments regarding the reason for her fatigue. "You can leave now. I'll not be needing you this morning." She said instead, dismissing the redhead.

"Are you sure?" Ginny questioned. "If you're not feeling well, maybe I should stay with you."

"I'm fine." Hermione repeated. "I'm just going to curl up and spend the morning reading. You should take the opportunity to go and enjoy the sunshine."

"Okay, I'll be back at lunchtime." Ginny said, gathering the breakfast plates from the table. "Send for me if you need anything."

Hermione nodded as her friend left the chambers. Sighing in relief Hermione made her way over to the window overlooking the knights training field and settled into the window seat. Leaning her head against the cool glass Hermione observed Sir Draco putting the knights through their paces in a rigorous workout. Normally watching her lover training the men got Hermione all worked up but at the minute all it did was cause her to long for her lover's embrace, and not in a sexual way. Right at this minute all Hermione wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep, preferably with Draco holding her.

Continuing to watch the knights down below Hermione let her mind wander, something that had become a common pastime for the young Queen. Ever since the end of the tournament three weeks ago Hermione had felt like a spare part in the kingdom. Until she had finished organising the celebration ball and making the guests stays as pleasant as possible, Hermione hadn't realised how much she had enjoyed having something constructive to do with her time. Now she was back to her normal routine and she felt bored and unfulfilled.

Growing up in Gryffindor, Hermione had watched how her parents had ruled the kingdom together and foolishly she had thought that one day she would do the same with the man she married. King Severus however was a very different ruler to her father, right from the first day of their marriage she had understood that it was his kingdom, he made the rules and she was unimportant in the running of the kingdom. A few weeks ago Hermione had tried approaching her husband, asking for something meaningful to do, but he had dismissed her and told her not to bother herself with matters he could handle alone.

Feeling totally useless and unwanted Hermione had tried to settle back into her routine from before the tournament but she found she couldn't settle. Nothing had changed with the time she spent with Draco, it was still the best few hours of her day and it was honestly the only thing she had to look forward to these days. But Draco had his knightly duties to attend to as well as his protective ones regarding her and like always Hermione was careful to make sure she didn't take up too much of his time during the day. Nights were a different matter altogether and they now spent most nights together, but during the day their time was still limited so no-one got suspicious of them.

The main problem with settling back into her routine was Ginny. Before the tournament she had spent all her spare time with her friend but now it just felt awkward and Hermione used any excuse to give her maid extra time off. Hermione knew the reason for the awkwardness was her knowledge of what Ginny was doing with the King. Hermione actually had no problems with the King sleeping with servants or Ginny bedding various knights but the thought of them together, combined with the kinky nature of their activities, left Hermione feeling uncomfortable around the pair.

The uncomfortableness she felt around the King wasn't really an issue, as apart from the odd occasion she always felt slightly uncomfortable around her older husband. The uncomfortableness she felt around Ginny however, was a different matter. No matter how much she tried Hermione couldn't get rid of the feeling that Ginny was betraying her by sleeping with the King. Unless King Severus had told her otherwise, Ginny was under the impression Hermione's marriage was a proper one and that the royal couple did their marital duties on a regular basis. That was why Hermione was finding it hard to be around Ginny, her maid was showing no remorse for sleeping with her husband and she didn't even seem to be uncomfortable in Hermione's presence despite the fact she was regularly bedding the King.

Pulling herself from her thoughts Hermione looked down and realised the knights had disappeared, meaning training was over. Wondering how long she had sat daydreaming Hermione stood up. The second she stood a wave of dizziness hit her and Hermione had to grab onto a nearby chair to stop herself from toppling over. Hermione stood for a while composing herself before she gingerly let go of the chair and made her way across the room. As she went she couldn't help but think maybe Ginny was right, maybe skipping breakfast wasn't a good idea for her health.

Picking her book up from the nightstand, Hermione settled into the comfiest chair in the room as she settled down to read for the rest of the morning. Hermione had barely sat down when the door opened and Ginny bustled in with lunch. Staring at her maid, Hermione realised she must have spent hours daydreaming and pondering over her life. If felt like very little time had passed since Ginny had left but clearly the whole morning had passed her by.

"Are you feeling better, My Lady?" Ginny asked as she laid out Hermione's lunch.

"Yes." Hermione nodded and smiled, even though she felt no better than when Ginny had left the room hours earlier.

Knowing that unless she wanted Ginny to hassle her she would have to eat, Hermione set her book down and stood up. Hermione stood up slowly and made sure she was steady on her feet before she made her way to the table. Settling down at the table Hermione eyed the meal up before she reluctantly began to eat. As she ate Hermione found she began feeling slightly better, although she only managed half her meal.

"Do you have any plans for this afternoon?" Ginny asked as she began clearing the dishes. Hermione had been aware that her friend had been watching her throughout the meal as she busied herself tidying up.

"No, I think I'm just going to stay here." Hermione replied as she headed back to where she had left her book.

"Okay." Ginny nodded. "I'll take these back to the kitchen, then I'll get on with my chores. There's a couple of your dresses that need mending."

Hermione nodded, as Ginny left the room. Technically she knew she could tell Ginny to take the dresses and work elsewhere but that was something she never did and she didn't want to upset her friend. While Hermione would rather have been left alone she knew that if she was reading that for the most part Ginny would be quiet and leave her alone.

Sure enough when Ginny returned she got her sewing kit out and brought the dresses that needed fixing to a seat beside Hermione. The two women then spent most of the afternoon in relaxing silence, in fact it was the most comfortable Hermione had been with Ginny since she discovered the redhead's affair with the King.

After a few hours of reading, Hermione began to feel tired again. Putting down her book she tried to decide what to do about dinner later that evening. She really had no appetite and the thought of dining with King Severus in awkwardness just wasn't appealing to her. Making a decision to skip dinner she stood up and asked Ginny to help her undo her laces on the back of her dress.

"It's a bit early to be changing for dinner isn't it?" Ginny questioned as she unlaced Hermione's dress.

"I'm not changing." Hermione replied as she walked over the other side of the room and darted behind her changing screen. "I want you to do me a favour and tell the King I'm not feeling up to dining with him tonight." She called, before she emerged wearing her nightgown.

"Do you want me to bring you some dinner later on?" Ginny asked.

"I'll send for something if I get hungry." Hermione replied. "As long as you pass the message onto the King, you can have the rest of the day off."

Ginny nodded and after checking that Hermione didn't need anything else she left the Queen to her own devices. Hermione pulled shut all the curtains in the room before she crawled into bed and curled up in the centre of the silk sheets. As she tried to get to sleep the Queen emptied her mind, pushing all her worries to one side as she tried to relax enough to sleep.

While the Queen succeeded in turning of her mind as she was on the verge of drifting off to sleep, Hermione didn't. All afternoon while the Queen had been absorbed in her book Hermione had been thinking and she wasn't sure what to make of what she was suspecting. Hermione had been weighing up everything surrounding the Queen's illness over the last few days and she was beginning to suspect the Queen was pregnant. Obviously neither Hermione nor the Queen had experience in the subject of pregnancy but Hermione knew enough to recognise the Queen's symptoms fitted the early stages of pregnancy.

As sleep fully overcome the Queen, Hermione's thoughts faded as she was pulled into darkness.

**:::::::::**

Hermione was slowly awakened by the feeling of someone stroking her hair. Groggily opening her eyes she was greeted by the sight of Draco sitting on the edge of her bed, looking down at her in concern.

"Hi." Hermione smiled sleepily, pleased to see her lover.

"Hi." Draco smiled back at Hermione. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." Hermione replied as she sat up. "What are you doing here?" She asked, noticing it was too early for him to be visiting with the intention of spending the night.

"Ginny just told the King you weren't feeling well enough to eat with him." Draco explained. "He asked me to come and check you were okay, although I was planning on doing that anyway."

"How nice that he's so concerned for my welfare." Hermione retorted bitterly. While she didn't want to see the King it did annoy her slightly that even when he knew she was unwell he sent someone else to check on her.

"I don't think your health was his top priority." Draco admitted. "The second Ginny said you wouldn't be eating with him, he couldn't wait to ask her to serve him his dinner in his chambers."

Hermione pulled a face as she wondered what else her maid would be serving to the King besides food. "I thought he never ate in his room." She said, remembering a very early conversation she had with the King regarding meal times.

"He usually doesn't." Draco shrugged. "But then again, since Ginny has entered his life he's doing a few things he doesn't normally do."

"Like what?"

"Well for a start she's the only woman he's sleeping with. Normally he rotates the women in his bed frequently but since he started this thing with her, he hasn't required the presence of any of the other maids." Draco explained.

"Do you think it's serious between them?" Hermione questioned.

"I don't know. Are you bothered if it is?" Draco asked, watching Hermione closely for her reaction.

"No." Hermione shook her head as she smiled. "As long as he's not bothering me, I couldn't care less what he gets up to."

Draco smiled, obviously relived that Hermione wasn't jealous of her husband's extra marital affair. Deciding it was best to get off the topic of the King he asked Hermione if she wanted any dinner.

"Maybe something light." Hermione answered, suddenly realising she was quite hungry.

"I'll go and sort something for you." Draco said, dropping a kiss to Hermione's forehead before he stood up.

"Have you had dinner yet?" Hermione asked, before the knight had a chance to move away from the side of her bed.

"No. Why?"

"I was just thinking you could get your dinner at the same time and bring it back here, we could eat together." Hermione said.

Draco agreed and went to get the food while Hermione got out of bed. Hermione wrapped her dark green dressing gown around herself as she waited for Draco to return. When he did the couple sat at the table and ate their dinner. While Hermione didn't manage to clear her plate she did eat more that she had at lunchtime. After dinner Draco cleared the plates away before returning to Hermione's chambers once again.

"Do you want me to leave so you can go back to bed?" Draco asked Hermione.

"Will you stay with me?" Hermione asked. By now she was tired again and wanted to go back to bed but she also wanted Draco to stay.

"Of course I will." Draco smiled.

While Hermione removed her dressing gown and settled back into bed, Draco removed his boots. He then stripped down to his trousers before climbing into bed with the Queen. Hermione immediately snuggled into the blond knight and minutes after settling down she was fast asleep in the comfort of her lover's embrace.


	20. Chapter 20

Hermione sighed in frustration as she struggled to fit into yet another dress. So far this morning she had tried three different dresses and all of them were too tight on her. As she pulled off the dress she was wearing and went in search of another one, Hermione wondered how long the Queen would remain in denial about what was wrong with her.

It had been three days since Hermione had guessed what was wrong with the Queen but so far her royal counterpart had been too stubborn to admit she was expecting a child. Several times Hermione had caught fleeting glimpses of the Queen realising what was wrong but before the thoughts had a chance to fully form she pushed them away and distracted herself with something else. The Queen's refusal to admit her condition was really starting to annoy Hermione, she hadn't felt this annoyed at the Queen's actions since early in the story when she had pushed Draco away.

Finally finding a dress that fit her okay, Hermione stood in front of the mirror and took a good look at herself. Slowly her hands came to rest on her stomach as she finally admitted to herself the reason she was feeling so run down lately and the reason for her ill-fitting clothes, she was pregnant. At the admission Hermione wanted to praise the Queen for finally acknowledging the situation, but obviously she couldn't. Instead she stopped thinking and let herself be immersed back in with the Queen's thoughts and feelings, something that hadn't been happening much lately as she had been too frustrated with the Queen to blend into her properly.

"What am I going to do?" Hermione whispered to herself, still cradling her stomach.

Turning away from the mirror Hermione left her chambers and made her way into the garden, she was hoping the fresh air would help her think. Obviously she knew the first thing she needed to do was to get the pregnancy confirmed, while she was fairly certain she was expecting a child she still needed to be sure. The problem with that however, was that Hermione didn't want to go and see the court physician. She didn't want to risk the King finding out about her condition and she knew if she went to the court physician she couldn't guarantee her privacy.

Hermione knew the local midwife could confirm her pregnancy and keep it private so she was leaning towards paying her a visit. The problem was the midwife lived in the village located just outside the citadel, somewhere she wasn't allowed to go without an escort. Until she had her condition confirmed she didn't want to confide in Draco and asking another knight to escort her was out of the question, again she didn't want the King getting wind of what she was up to.

The natural solution would be to have Ginny help her sneak out of the castle but Hermione also didn't want to confide in her friend. While Hermione knew if she swore Ginny to secrecy her maid wouldn't tell anyone, she couldn't risk the redhead accidentally letting anything slip to the King. Hermione wasn't sure if Ginny's relationship with the King was a one where they talked to each other but she wasn't about to risk it by telling her friend what was going on.

Realising she had no-one to ask for help, Hermione decided she would have to sneak off to the village herself. With a bit of planning she was sure she could manage it just fine, all she had to do was wait for an afternoon when Draco was busy with the knights and she could send Ginny away, claiming to be feeling tired. Hermione ran through Draco's schedule in her head and realised the following day fit her plans perfectly, she knew Draco was planning an extra training session for the following afternoon as he had been complaining that recently the knights were becoming slack and letting their fighting skills wither.

With a plan to confirm her pregnancy in mind, Hermione decided she would wait until the following day before she began thinking about what to do next. Until she was certain of her condition she didn't want to have to think about the problems it would cause to her life. At the minute Hermione had no idea what she was going to do and she wasn't looking forward to when she had to deal with the problem.

**:::::::::**

The following afternoon Hermione managed to get rid of Ginny practically as soon as she had finished picking at her lunch. Hermione had told Ginny she was going to rest for the afternoon and the redhead disappeared with a spring in her step when Hermione had given her the rest of the day off. Hermione had given Ginny the entire day off as first of all she wasn't sure how long she would be, and secondly when she did return she fully expected to have some serious thinking to do.

Once Ginny was safely out of the way Hermione dug out a dark blue cloak that she had never worn since arriving in Slytherin and put it on. She had deliberately picked a cloak that wouldn't be instantly recognisable as hers, hopefully if anyone did spot her sneaking around they wouldn't think she was the Queen. Satisfied that if she kept her head down she wouldn't be recognised, Hermione slipped out of her chambers.

As she manoeuvred the passageways in the castle without being spotted, Hermione was grateful for the times Draco had showed her the best way to move around undetected. Thanks to Draco's sneaky tips, Hermione found herself exiting the castle by a side door without anyone seeing her. Still being careful to keep her head lowered, in case anyone in the castle looked out, Hermione hurried along the path that led to the nearby village.

The village was a ten minute walk and Hermione managed it without bumping into anyone. The couple of people she had passed had just smiled and wished her a good afternoon, not realising she was their Queen. It was only once she arrived on the outskirts of the village that Hermione was confronted with a problem, she didn't know where the local midwife lived. For a while Hermione debated whether to approach anyone and ask for directions, on the one hand she didn't want to be recognised but on the other she needed help to find her way.

After finally plucking up the courage to approach a man running a nearby stall, Hermione found herself heading in the direction of the midwife's cottage. The man who she had asked for directions had barely glanced at Hermione as he pointed her in the right direction. Hermione soon arrived at the cottage belonging to the midwife and summoning all her courage she knocked on the door.

When the door opened Hermione was greeted by the sight of Poppy Pomfrey, who she knew as the school nurse back in Hogwarts. Still keeping her head down Hermione asked if she could enter the house. Clearly puzzled by her guest's strange behaviour the midwife opened the door and unknowingly let the Queen enter her cottage.

"What can I do for you, dear?" Poppy asked.

Hermione made sure the door was firmly closed before she removed her hood, revealing who she was. The older woman gasped at the sight and immediately curtsied and apologised for not greeting the Queen in an appropriate manner.

"That's quite alright, you didn't know who I was." Hermione said, brushing off the other woman's concerns. "Before I tell you why I'm here, I would like your reassurance that nothing that is discussed this afternoon is broadcast. I expect strict confidentiality."

"Of course, You Majesty. I never discuss anything regarding the women I look after." The Midwife said.

"Good." Hermione nodded, breathing easier now she had decided she could trust the woman in front of her. "I think I'm pregnant. I want you to confirm it, please."

"Of course, take a seat." The midwife said. "May I ask why you didn't just consult the court physician?" She asked as she began sorting her supplies.

"The court physician is a man and I don't really know him. With something this personal, I would rather talk to a woman." Hermione said in explanation. While her main reasons for not consulting the court physician were regarding her privacy and his loyalty to the King, she was still uncomfortable with the prospect of speaking about such a delicate issue with a man.

"I completely understand." Poppy smiled at Hermione. "Some things are best kept between us women."

"Exactly." Hermione replied, pleased that the midwife had believed her reasons for visiting her as quickly.

"If you would remove your cloak, loosen your dress and hop onto the bed, I can get a look at you, My Lady." Poppy said, gesturing to the nearby bed.

Hermione removed her cloak and loosed her dress before sitting down on the small bed. The midwife then came over to her and as she examined her she asked her a few questions about her health. After ten minutes or so of careful examination and seemingly endless questions about her health the midwife told Hermione she could re-fasten her dress.

"Am I pregnant?" Hermione asked.

"I can't be a hundred per cent positive, but I would say so." Poppy nodded. "Some physicians do tests to confirm it, but in my experience a woman's body is the best form of telling whether a child is imminent. From everything you've told me and from what I've seen, I would say you can expect the patter of tiny feet in a few months' time."

"Thank you." Hermione said sombrely. Even though she was practically positive she was pregnant, it still made a difference hearing someone else confirm it. "Is there anything else I should know? Is there anything I should be doing or anything I shouldn't?"

"Not really." Poppy shook her head. "Obviously you should make sure you're eating healthily and eating enough. I know sometimes you don't feel like eating much but do try your best. I can't think of anything you shouldn't be doing, just make sure you don't tire yourself out. If you have any more questions or need anything throughout your pregnancy, feel free to come and see me. As I've said before, anything we discuss in entirely confidential."

"Thank you." Hermione smiled at the kind woman as she fastened her cloak and pulled her hood back up. "I'd very much appreciate it if this news stayed between us, I don't want any gossip surrounding my condition."

"Of course." The midwife nodded. "It's entirely your business when you inform people."

Hermione pulled a bag of gold coins from her cloak pocket and handed them to the midwife. "That's for you. I appreciate all you've done for me and the fact you're not a gossip."

"Anytime, My Lady." Poppy said, curtsying again.

After saying a final goodbye to the midwife, Hermione slipped back into the street and quickly made her way back to the castle. Like her trip to the village her trip back to the castle passed without incident and before she knew it she was back in her chambers. Stripping off the cloak and placing it back into the back of her wardrobe, Hermione removed her shoes and curled up in the chair in front of the fire.

Staring into the flames Hermione debated what she was going to do. She had a few vague ideas what she was going to do but one thing was for certain, she couldn't remain living in Slytherin. Hermione knew that no matter what happened she couldn't stay now she was expecting a baby. Even if for some bizarre reason the King didn't want to end their marriage she didn't want to stay and raise a child with a man who wasn't the father and who she didn't even love. In an ideal world Hermione would love to raise the baby with Draco, but she wasn't sure if that could ever happen. However, if there was even the slightest chance she could be with Draco, Hermione was sure she would think of it as she mulled over her options and what her future held.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N – Thank you everyone for all their lovely reviews and support for this story. After this chapter there are three more chapters of the immersion book to go. After that Hermione returns back to normal and the last few chapters of the story deal with what happens when she returns to her regular life.**

* * *

For the next couple of days Hermione thought about her problem and settled on an answer. After two days of thinking over every eventuality Hermione knew the time had come to speak to Draco. Hermione wanted to speak to her lover somewhere where they were alone and unlikely to be disturbed, which was why she suggested they go for a ride back to the river where they had first began their relationship.

Draco was up for the idea and after checking that Hermione was well enough for such a long ride they set out from the castle. On the journey Hermione enjoyed the countryside, and the easy banter she shared with Draco could almost make her forget her worries and problems. It wasn't until they stopped and settled down on the picnic blanket that Hermione really thought about what was about to happen. She knew there was a possibility this could be her last afternoon with Draco so she was determined to make the most of it.

"Is everything okay?" Draco asked, turning round so he was lying facing his lover. "You've been a bit distant lately."

"I do have something I want to talk to you about." Hermione said, summoning up all her courage to break the news of her pregnancy to Draco. "I'm having a baby." She blurted out, getting directly to the point.

Draco's eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed several times as he struggled to find any words. Hermione watched her lover anxiously, wondering if his lack of response was a bad thing. Eventually Draco seemed to regain his senses and a small smile appeared on his face.

"I'm going to be a father." Draco stated in a disbelieving voice.

Hermione couldn't help but smile at the fact he hadn't even checked that the baby was his, he trusted her enough to know he was the only man she was sleeping with. "Yes."

"This is rather unexpected." Draco said. "How long have you known?"

"A few days." Hermione replied. "To be honest I've been suspecting it for a while but I was reluctant to deal with it."

"I'm not surprised." Draco muttered, suddenly looking ill as the consequences of Hermione's news hit him. "What are we going to do?" He asked, looking at Hermione for answers.

"First of all, I'm leaving Slytherin." Hermione replied. "I'm going to organise a trip home to speak to my parents. As long as they're not planning on disowning me, I'll go home."

"What happens if they do decide to disown you?" Draco questioned.

"Then I leave and find somewhere else to live." Hermione shrugged. "But I'm not expecting that to happen. I know my parents won't be happy, but I can't see them disowning me and letting me be homeless when I'm expecting a baby."

"What about me?" Draco asked, hurt evident in his voice. "Do I fit into your plans or are you planning on leaving me as well?"

"That's entirely up to you." Hermione responded. "I would love it if you wanted to come with me, but if you feel you can't leave Slytherin, I'll understand. If you stay behind no-one need ever know who the father of the baby is, your name won't be dragged through the mud and you can carry on serving King Severus as a knight of Slytherin."

"You think I would want to stay here without you?" Draco scoffed, sounding disgusted with Hermione's suggestion. "Unless you don't want me, I'm sticking with you. You're carrying my child and I have no intention of abandoning either of you."

"Of course I want you." Hermione smiled, reaching out and grasping Draco's hand. "I love you and want to be with you, but I don't want to destroy your life."

"Being with you wouldn't destroy my life, but being without you would." Draco said, leaning forward and gently pecking Hermione on the lips. "I love you and I would do anything to be with you."

Hermione smiled before connecting her lips with Draco's in a passion filled kiss. Draco wrapped his hand around Hermione's neck and pulled her closer as his tongue sought entrance in her warm mouth. Hermione's hands wandered down Draco's torso and up under his shirt as she moaned at the feeling of his tongue dancing around hers. After a few minutes the couple reluctantly parted, although their heads remained close together and they stared into each other's eyes for a long time.

"What about the King?" Draco asked eventually, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

Hermione sighed as she pulled back slightly. "I want to talk to my parents before dealing with him, but I have a plan. If everything goes as I hope, we can walk away and everything remains peaceful."

"What sort of plan have you got?" Draco asked, looking sceptical that they would be able to leave without a fuss. "He married you to prevent a war with Gryffindor, surely you leaving him will only start a war."

"The King doesn't want a war, especially when he knows he will lose." Hermione responded. "That's why I'm pretty sure that if I can get my parents onside I can guarantee peace between our two kingdoms."

"That's your plan, offer him peace if he lets us leave?" Draco asked sceptically.

"Not exactly." Hermione chuckled. "The peace deal is my main weapon but I have other bargaining chips. You're forgetting that he doesn't want to be married to me any more than I want to be married to him. With a promise of peace between our kingdoms he has no reason to cause problems. If I leave we both end up getting what we want, I get you and the King gets to return to normal without having to worry about me."

"You've really thought this through, haven't you?" Draco grinned at Hermione.

"Yes." Hermione grinned back at Draco. "I have a whole host of reasonable reasons why we should split and if those don't work I'm not above resorting to a bit of blackmail."

"What have you got to blackmail him with?" Draco questioned, sounding intrigued about what the Queen had on the King.

"Thanks to you, I know about his kinks in the bedroom."

"How does that help you?" Draco asked. "The whole castle knows about it?"

"Yes, but no-one outside the castle knows about it." Hermione pointed out. "And no-one in Gryffindor knows about it. I could easily claim he tried getting rough with me and when I refused he took to bedding my maid."

"You would really do that?" Draco looked at Hermione in disbelief, clearly shocked she would resort to such underhand tactics to get what she wanted.

"If I really had to." Hermione sighed. "I really hope it won't come to that as I'm not comfortable with lying and scheming like that but if he's going to be difficult I will try it. I really don't think it will come to that though, the King is a sensible man and he'll know that us splitting up is the best thing to do."

"I hope so." Draco said. "But I can't see him letting me go so easily. Even if he agrees to your split, I've still betrayed him and he'll want revenge."

"I don't think so." Hermione responded cryptically. "If everything goes to plan we'll both leave Slytherin with the King's blessing."

"I doubt that." Draco snorted.

"You should never doubt me." Hermione grinned, pushing Draco onto the blanket and moving so she was straddling his hips. "My plans always succeed."

"What plans are these then?" Draco asked, quirking an eyebrow at the woman on top of him.

"My plan to seduce you worked perfectly." Hermione responded, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on Draco's lips. "And so far my plan for a repeat performance is working just fine."

"So you want a repeat performance." Draco chuckled. "In that case, we're in the wrong positions."

Before Hermione could protest Draco had whipped them round so she was now lying underneath the firm body of her lover. Grinning down at the Queen, Draco dipped his head and engaged her in a heated kiss that left them both panting for more.

"I also think we're wearing too many clothes." Hermione purred, finding the bottom of Draco's shirt and pulling it over his head.

Sitting up slightly Draco pulled off his trousers before returning his attention to his lover. In the time Draco had stripped off Hermione had slowly began unfastening the laces on the front of her dress.

"Allow me, My Lady." Draco said, brushing Hermione's hands away and taking over the job himself.

With every bit of flesh he was uncovering Draco traced the tips of his fingers over Hermione's flawless skin. Undoing the laces carefully so they remained over her breasts, Draco kissed his way down the strip of skin from the base of her neck to her bellybutton. By the time Draco slowly kissed his way back up her body and pushed the top of her dress away from her breasts, Hermione was whimpering softly at his every touch. When Draco finally touched her breasts, which seemed to be extra sensitive and slightly larger than normal, Hermione moaned wantonly and arched up into his touch.

"Someone's keen." Draco muttered, rolling Hermione's nipples in-between his thumb and fingers.

"Very." Hermione panted, pushing herself closer to Draco. With not feeling well lately Hermione had been distinctly uninterested in sex but at the minute her body was aching for Draco's touch.

Draco grinned as he dropped one final kiss to Hermione's lips before travelling them down her body. Kissing along her jawline and down her neck he then travelled to her right breast, which he lavished with attention before turning his attention to her left one. When he continued his descent down her body Hermione groaned at the loss of contact on her breasts, causing Draco to chuckle against her stomach. Carrying on down Hermione's body, Draco slid her dress over her hips and down her legs when he encountered the silken barrier.

With her dress off Hermione was left lying in just her undergarments. Before Draco had a chance to remove the silky material, Hermione had reached down and tugged them down her legs, discarding them with her dress. Draco's attention automatically focused on the spot between Hermione's legs and his hand shot out to feel his lover's arousal. Hermione threw her head back and moaned at the feeling of Draco's fingers exploring her wet folds. After a few minutes Hermione grabbed Draco's hand and pulled it away from her centre, causing her lover to look up at her in surprise.

"I want you, now." She declared, reaching up and pulling him into a searing kiss.

Breaking apart, Hermione settled back onto the blanket while Draco hovered over her. Making sure to keep eye contact with each other, Draco slowly pushed into Hermione. The action produced simultaneous moans of pleasure but neither Draco nor Hermione tore their eyes away from each other as Draco began to slowly move in and out of Hermione.

The lovemaking was slow and tender with Draco constantly telling Hermione how much he loved her. Hermione was quick to respond in kind as she let the handsome blond knight know just what he meant to her. Gradually the talk of love subsided as their movements gradually picked up pace and their thoughts became focused on the pleasure they were experiencing.

Without breaking eye contact with Hermione, Draco adjusted his position so his hand could slip in-between their legs and his fingers could find Hermione's clitoris. As Draco's fingers found their target he watched Hermione intently as he built her up to her orgasm. Crashing his lips down onto hers, Draco's fingers pressed against her clitoris one final time, causing the woman underneath him to spasm around him. Hermione clung onto Draco as her climax surged through her body. In the middle of her pleasure she felt Draco orgasm and the couple rode out the last waves of euphoria together, before collapsing onto the blanket in an intertwined heap.

Draco was very careful not to collapse onto Hermione and the minute he could move he rolled over and pulled Hermione so she was lying nestled against his side, with her leg flung over his waist and her head resting on his chest. For a long while the couple laid naked in each other's arms as they talked about their future, which was going to be together no matter what anyone said or did to try and stop them.

After a while Hermione and Draco reluctantly got up and got re-dressed. After sharing a long kiss and arranging to meet that night the couple mounted their horses and set back to Slytherin. While neither of them were particularly keen to be heading back to the castle, they knew the sooner they went home the sooner Hermione could arrange a trip to Gryffindor. And hopefully the trip to Gryffindor would signal the beginning of their future together.


	22. Chapter 22

Hermione checked her reflection in the mirror to make sure her growing stomach wasn't visible in the dress she was wearing. Satisfied that she looked no different to normal Hermione grabbed her cloak and left her chambers. Today was the day Hermione was heading to Gryffindor to speak with her parents. The trip had been organised quickly and Hermione was relieved when King Severus hadn't questioned her about the reason she wanted to visit her parents.

The only downside to the trip was that with her recent bad health he had insisted she take the carriage, rather than travel on horseback. Normally Hermione wouldn't have minded as Ginny would normally accompany her on such a trip but her maid had grumbled about the trip so Hermione had given her permission to remain behind in Slytherin. At the time Hermione had been pleased she didn't have to deal with making sure Ginny didn't suspect anything untoward was happening with the visit but now she knew she was travelling by coach she wasn't looking forward to the hours of loneliness.

Arriving in the courtyard, Hermione found the King giving Sir Draco and Sir Blaise final instructions. Obviously as her protector Sir Draco was accompanying her but the King insisted that another knight join them and Sir Blaise had been selected. Moving past the King and the two knights, Hermione greeted them politely as she headed for the carriage. Now she had a plan she was eager to get going so she could speak with her parents and find out what her future held. Hermione was relieved when a few minutes after entering the carriage the King poked his head in and said goodbye before they departed.

The journey to Gryffindor was long and boring and Hermione was pleased when it was over. Because they were travelling by carriage the journey was longer anyway but on the King's instructions they stopped to rest more times than Hermione thought was necessary. Hermione had tried arguing over the stops with Draco but he had insisted they did as the King wished and stopped regularly so that Hermione didn't find the journey too arduous. Knowing that Draco himself was just as concerned about her health, Hermione stopped arguing and went along with the numerous stops.

When the carriage pulled up in the Gryffindor court yard, Hermione was slightly taken aback to find the King and Queen waiting for her. Because the trip was planned on such short notice she hadn't bothered to inform her parents of her arrival, so she wasn't expecting a welcoming committee. When she stepped from the carriage Hermione realised it was just her parents and Sir Harry waiting to greet her, so her arrival was probably spotted by the security patrols not long ago.

"Hermione, what are you doing here?" King Albus asked, greeting his daughter with a hug.

"I want to talk to you both." Hermione replied. "In private and as soon as possible."

"Of course." The King nodded, looking at his daughter with open curiosity. "Sir Harry, will you take Sir Draco and his friend and settle them into some guest accommodation and will you sort out someone to come and tend to the horses."

"Yes, My Lord." Sir Harry bowed to the King before rushing into action and approaching the two Slytherin knights.

"Come on dear, let's get inside." Queen Minerva said, taking Hermione's arm and leading her into the castle.

King Albus followed the two women and the three of them headed towards the dining hall. It wasn't until they entered the room that Hermione realised it was dinner time and she would be expected to dine with her parents.

"What is it you wish to discuss?" King Albus asked once they were seated around the table. "It must be important if you've made a special trip."

"It is, but can we wait and talk about it after dinner?" Hermione subtly gestured to the servants that were serving them as she spoke. While she was desperate to talk with her parents she had no intention of doing so when anyone could overhear and spread gossip about her.

"If you wish." Queen Minerva replied.

"Thank you." Hermione smiled at her mother, pleased she knew why she wanted to wait.

Throughout dinner Hermione caught up with what was happening in Gryffindor while she pushed her food around the plate, occasionally managing to eat a few small portions here and there. Once dinner was over and the plates were cleared away King Albus dismissed the servants for the night and left instructions that they weren't to be disturbed. When the room was empty and the doors firmly shut the King turned to his daughter, eager to know the reason for her unexpected visit.

"I take it you're willing to speak now?" He asked Hermione.

"Yes." Hermione nodded and took a few calming breaths as she prepare to confess all to her parents. "I've come to tell you something very important. I'm pregnant."

Hermione watched as her father's face lit up with joy. "That's great news." He beamed. "Why didn't Severus come with you? I would like to congratulate him in person."

Hermione bit her lip as she tried to work out the best way to break the news about the identity of the father of her child. She knew her father would be bitterly disappointed in her and she really didn't have a clue what to say. Luckily she was saved by Queen Minerva speaking up.

"King Severus isn't the father, is he?" Hermione's mother stated. "Sir Draco is."

"That's ridiculous." King Albus scoffed at his wife before turning towards a guilty looking Hermione. "Tell me it's not true, Hermione." He pleaded with his daughter, upon seeing her reaction to the Queen's statement.

"I can't." Hermione whispered. "Draco is the father."

"What on earth have you been playing at?" The King demanded angrily. "This will mean war when King Severus finds out."

"I don't think it will. I have a plan to avert that." Hermione told her father.

"What is this plan?" The King asked. "Surely you're not going to pass the child off as Severus's?"

"No, of course not." Hermione tutted at her father's idea. "That would never work as our marriage hasn't being consummated."

"What?" The King spluttered. "Why? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing." Hermione said, deciding it wasn't wise to tell her father about the other King's kinks in the bedroom. "It's just never been an issue for us. We don't love each other, we married for convenience and to create a union between our two kingdoms, not because we were madly in love and wanted to be together."

"So because you weren't getting any action from your husband you decided to bed a knight. I thought we raised you better than that, Hermione." King Albus tutted at his daughter and shook his head in disappointment.

"It wasn't like that." Hermione protested. "I love Draco and he loves me."

"That doesn't make it right, though." The King sighed, softening slightly at the mention of love.

"I know." Hermione agreed. "But we can't change it now and to be honest I don't want to change it. I don't regret loving Draco, he's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Queen Minerva asked. "Obviously Hermione can't stay married to King Severus."

"That's why I'm here, to discuss what happens now." Hermione explained. "I'm going back to Slytherin tomorrow and ending things with King Severus and I was hoping I could return home."

"Of course you can, dear." Queen Minerva smiled at Hermione as she reached out and squeezed her daughter's hand.

"I was also hoping you could draw me up an annulment for us to sign and a peace agreement. I want to reassure King Severus that the end of our marriage won't result in war." Hermione said.

"I can get you both drawn up tonight." King Albus told his daughter. "But why would Severus just agree to sign them. With the situation as it is he would have every right to be angry and demand recompense."

"I know, but I'm hoping if we talk he'll see this is for the best. He doesn't want to be married to me anymore than I want to be married to him."

"What about Sir Draco?" Queen Minerva inquired. "Surely if you love him, you won't want to leave him behind."

"I don't intend to, Draco's staying with me." Hermione said. "We want to be together, if you can't accept that we can go somewhere else."

"You're not going anywhere." King Albus declared, suddenly standing up. "Gryffindor is your home and you're always welcome here. I'm not going to pretend I'm happy with things because I'm not, but you're my daughter and I love you. If you and Sir Draco want to be together I'll allow it."

Hermione beamed widely and stood up to embrace her father. "Thank you."

"I'm going to go and sort the annulment and peace arrangement out." King Albus said, wriggling out of Hermione's embrace. "I'm also going to speak to Sir Draco."

Hermione began to protest at the prospect of her father grilling her lover but Queen Minerva shook her head, silencing her daughter. Hermione knew her mother was right, arguing wouldn't help matters, so she shut up and let her father leave the room. Hermione had known that her father would have wanted to talk to Draco, she just hoped he wasn't too horrid to the blond knight.

"How did you know about Draco?" Hermione asked her mother, turning her attention back to the older woman.

"I spotted it at the tournament." The Queen answered. "It was actually quite easy to spot."

"How?" Hermione asked, wondering if anyone else had caught onto them.

"The way you look at him." Queen Minerva said. "You look at him as though he's your everything. The fact you're in love with him was written all over your face."

"Do you think anyone else spotted it?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"I wouldn't have thought so." Queen Minerva reassured her daughter. "I spotted it because I'm your mother and I know you really well."

"What do you think of it?" Hermione asked.

"I admit I'm disappointed, but you're my daughter and I love you. The important thing is that you're happy and Sir Draco clearly makes you happy." The Queen shrugged.

"I didn't mean to disappoint you and father." Hermione sighed. "But I fell in love."

"You can't help falling in love." Queen Minerva said, offering Hermione a smile. "Come on, I bet you're tired after travelling all day."

"I am a bit." Hermione stifled a yawn as she stood up.

"Once you come back home, we can get you checked out and make sure both you and the baby are healthy." Queen Minerva said, linking arms with Hermione. "But for now, we'll get you to bed."

Hermione stifled another yawn as she let her mother escort her to her chambers. Once the other Queen had departed, Hermione got changed and crawled into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

**::::::::**

After a restful night's sleep, Hermione got dressed and headed down to have breakfast with her parents. She didn't really feel like eating but knew there were still things to discuss before she set off back to Slytherin. Hermione wasn't exactly looking forward to returning to Slytherin and speaking to her husband but she knew the sooner it was done the sooner her and Draco could start their life together.

When Hermione entered the dining hall she was shocked to find Draco sitting at the table with her parents. As she approached the table, Draco stood up and pulled out her chair for her. As she thanked him and settled down in her seat she spotted her father nodding approvingly out of the corner of her eye. While her parents may not approve of the situation she found herself in she knew Draco would endear himself to them just by showing them how much he cared for her.

"Did you sleep well?" Queen Minerva asked her daughter.

"I did." Hermione nodded, trying not to gag at the overpowering smells of the food on the table.

"We've just been discussing your return to Slytherin." King Albus said. "I'm sending a party of knights with you to make sure everything runs smoothly. I'm also sending our carriage so you can return with all your belongings."

"Is it really necessary to send some of our knights?" Hermione queried her father's decision. "I'll have Draco with me to make sure everything runs smoothly."

"I'm just looking out for you, Hermione." The King said. "I'll feel better if some of my men are there in case you need them."

"If you insist." Hermione sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue once her father had made up his mind about something.

"I do." The King nodded. "I also insist that you two keep your relationship quiet for the time being. We can discuss things when you return but until then, I want no-one finding out about your relationship."

"What about King Severus?" Hermione questioned. "I'll have to tell him."

"I'm not talking about Severus, I'm talking about the knights and other people." King Albus said.

"We'll make sure no-one finds out." Hermione said, agreeing with her father's order. She didn't know why he was so insistent that everything remained so secretive but with everything he was doing for her she didn't want to go against his wishes.

"Good." King Albus nodded as he stood up. "I'll go and sort the men and get you the contracts you need."

The King took Draco with him as he left the room, leaving the two women to enjoy their breakfast in silence. While Hermione didn't eat anything she remained at the table and spoke at length with her mother about what would happen once she returned home. Queen Minerva acknowledged that no matter how they handled things there would be a slight scandal, but she vowed that she and the King would stick by Hermione no matter what.

After breakfast Hermione and Queen Minerva headed into the courtyard where everyone was ready to leave. Alongside the Gryffindor carriage were the five top knights, ready to accompany Hermione back to Slytherin to end her marriage. She knew from talking with her mother that the knight knew they were escorting Hermione back to Slytherin and that she would be returning with them but her mother had told her that they had no idea of why she was returning home.

After saying goodbye to her parents, Hermione settled into the Slytherin coach and the party made their way out of the courtyard, heading back towards Slytherin and a confrontation with King Severus.


	23. Chapter 23

The trip back to Slytherin was quicker than the one to Gryffindor as on the first stop Hermione told Draco they didn't have to make extra stops. While her lover had initially protested the idea she had reassured him that if she needed to stop she would let him know. Without the extra stops a good hour was knocked off the journey and they arrived back in Slytherin late in the afternoon.

When they arrived outside the castle the King and several of Slytherin's knights were waiting for them. Hermione could immediately tell that the presence of the five Gryffindor knights was puzzling to everyone in Slytherin. The Gryffindor knight's presence was actually puzzling to everyone and during one of the stops on the way back to Slytherin, Hermione had heard Sir Blaise asking Draco about the other knight's presences. Draco had brushed his friend off, telling him to ask the Queen if he wanted to know what was happening. When the knight didn't approach her, Hermione assumed he had either decided it was none of his business or he had asked one of the Gryffindor knights about why they were travelling with them.

"What's going on?" King Severus inquired as he stepped up to help Hermione out of the carriage.

"We need to talk." Hermione replied.

"Let's go inside." The King said, eyeing up the five knights from the rival kingdom.

Hermione turned round and spoke to the five knights. "Wait here." She said, before looking at Draco.

Draco nodded, reassuring Hermione he would be right behind her. The couple had snatched a few minutes during one of the stops and Hermione had asked Draco to be with her when she spoke to the King. Satisfied Draco was with her, Hermione turned and followed King Severus into the castle. The King led them to the deserted throne room and it wasn't until the door was shut behind them that he realised Draco had accompanied Hermione into the room.

"What's going on?" The King asked, repeating his first question to his wife.

"I want to go home to Gryffindor." Hermione announced. "I've got an annulment for us to sign and a peace agreement that will ensure no war will erupt between our two kingdoms."

"I don't understand, what's brought this on?" King Severus asked. "Why do you suddenly want to leave?"

"We both know our marriage is a total lie and I see no point in carrying on with the charade."

"There's more to it than that." King Severus insisted. "But before we discuss this any further, I think Sir Draco should leave. This is private and there's no need for him to be here."

"I want him to stay." Hermione said, subconsciously moving closer to her lover.

King Severus looked at the couple and both Hermione and Draco saw understanding dawn on him. Shooting the couple a disbelieving look he turned and walked the few metres to his throne. Slumping down on the chair he looked back towards his wife and most trusted knight.

"I take it he's the reason you're leaving." The King spat in a bitter tone.

"Sort of." Hermione sighed, dreading the reaction to what she was about to say next. "We're expecting a baby."

Hermione watched as King Severus's mouth dropped open and he gaped at the couple. After a few minutes of pure shock he composed himself and glared menacingly at them. The look really reminded her of Professor's Snape's most toxic look, something she had witnessed regularly in Potions lessons.

"How long?" He asked.

"How long what?" Hermione asked, playing dumb. She knew exactly what the King was asking but she didn't want to admit just how long she and Draco had been together.

"How long have you been bedding my most trusted knight?" The King snarled.

"How long have you been bedding my maid?" Hermione retorted.

Hermione's accusations stunned the King and he visibly blanched at her words. "You know." He whispered, turning pale.

"Yes, I know." Hermione replied, not revealing just how much she knew about the King and his kinks. "So I think it's safe to say neither of us have exactly been angels during this marriage."

"I agree, we're both in the wrong." King Severus conceded. "Maybe now we can talk honestly and work things out."

"What is there to work out?" Hermione questioned. "Surely you don't think we can stay together now?"

"Why not?" King Severus shrugged. "You leaving will cause a scandal. Maybe we can talk this through and everything can carry on the same, but at least we'll both be aware of what the other is doing."

Hermione looked at the King in bewilderment before turning to Draco. Draco looked just as bemused as Hermione by the King's idea. After sharing a disbelieving look, Hermione turned back to face her husband.

"And what about the baby? Do you just expect me to pass it off as yours?" Hermione questioned, not being able to control the slight sarcastic tint to her voice.

"I don't know, I just don't want a scandal." The King sighed. "Having your wife run off with a knight isn't what I want people to remember me for."

"That's why we're going to make the split look amicable." Hermione said, moving closer to the King. "When I leave you're going to tell everyone that we've been talking about this for some time and that's why I returned home briefly."

"All that would be fine, if you weren't having a child with my knight." The King retorted bitterly. "As soon as the baby's born gossip will start."

"We can't help that, but my father can limit the gossip that emerges from Gryffindor. No-one here knows of my pregnancy and it could be years before anyone needs to know I've had a child. By then no-one needs know exactly how long after leaving here I gave birth." Hermione explained. "As far as everyone will be concerned my relationship with Draco began after I left Slytherin."

"I take it this means you're leaving as well?" King Severus asked, addressing Draco for the first time.

"Yes, Sire." Draco nodded.

"Good, it saves me the job of sacking you." King Severus retorted. "But until then, I think it's time you left my sight. Go and arrange accommodation for the Gryffindor knights and make arrangements for the Queen to leave tomorrow morning. I don't wish to see you before then and right now I need to speak to my wife in private."

"I'm sorry, Sire, I never meant for this to happen." Draco said.

"It's too late for sorry." The King muttered. "Get out."

Draco quickly looked at Hermione and when she nodded at him he turned and left the room. Once Draco had left, Hermione made her way to the King and she perched on her throne that was situated next to his.

"I'm sorry as well." Hermione said softly. "I never meant to have an affair and I certainly never meant to fall in love with someone else."

"Maybe it's my fault." King Severus said. "It was foolish of me to believe a beautiful, young woman like yourself wouldn't seek out what I wasn't giving you."

"It's not your fault. I think maybe you and my father should have tried to find another way to untie the two kingdoms. In hindsight us getting married wasn't the best idea."

"I don't suppose it was." The King sighed. "But what's done is done and we have to make the best of the situation we have. Tell me what you propose we do about this."

Hermione smiled softly, pleased she hadn't had to resort to blackmail to get the annulment. Hopefully things could now progress civilly and they could convince everyone her departure was pre-planned and the King had been aboard with the plan from the beginning. Not quite as nervous as she had been earlier, Hermione began to explain to the King what she thought should happen to ensure no scandal was attached to either one of them.

**::::::::::**

After spending a few hours talking everything through with the King, and signing the annulment and peace agreement, Hermione retired to her chambers to begin her packing. She'd been slightly taken aback by the King's reasonable behaviour but at the end of the day she suspected he was just doing what he had to do to avoid scandal.

Hermione knew that if he had kicked up a fuss and the truth had come out that both of them would have looked bad. Obviously Hermione would look bad for having an affair with his knight and ending up pregnant but the King wouldn't have emerged unscathed. Despite it being Hermione in the wrong the rumours would have started up regarding her reasons for having the affair in the first place, and Hermione knew the King wouldn't want anyone thinking she had gone elsewhere because he couldn't satisfy her in the bedroom. With the rumours and gossip that could have resulted from their split, this result was best for everyone.

Hermione had been in her chambers for nearly an hour when someone knocked on the door. Not looking up from her sorting Hermione called for the person to enter. When the door opened and shut almost immediately Hermione looked up and found Ginny standing in the room.

"The King sent me to help you pack." Ginny said. "He said you're leaving in the morning."

"I am. I was going to tell you myself, but you weren't here." Hermione said, feeling bad that she hadn't been the one to break the news to her friend.

"Why are you going?" Ginny asked. "I thought you liked it here?"

"Things just aren't working out." Hermione admitted. She was surprised that the King hadn't told Ginny the real reason for her departure but she had a feeling that her friend would find out the truth soon enough.

Ginny nodded but didn't say anything as she moved to help Hermione pack up her wardrobe. For a while the two women worked in silence and Hermione couldn't help but miss the easy camaraderie that had once existed between them. However, since Ginny's affair with the King started things had just become uncomfortable with them.

"You're staying here, aren't you?" Hermione said, breaking the silence.

"Yes." Ginny nodded. "The King has reassured me I'll always be welcome here and a position in the palace is mine if I want it."

"You're staying for the King aren't you?" Hermione questioned, although it sounded more like a statement.

"I don't know what you mean." Ginny replied, keeping her head bent. "I'm staying because I consider Slytherin my home now."

"I know about your affair with the King." Hermione said, causing Ginny to gape at the Queen as she turned red with embarrassment.

"Is that why you're leaving?" Ginny asked, still looking uncomfortable.

"No." Hermione smiled at her maid and reassured her she bore her no ill will over her relationship with her husband.

"I'm sorry if we've hurt you, Hermione." Ginny said quietly. "We never intended to."

"I know." Hermione nodded. "Do you love him?" She asked. Talking to Ginny had led her to believe her maid's feelings for the King were more powerful than she had originally thought.

"Yes." Ginny admitted, after a long silence.

"Then I hope you're very happy together." Hermione said with a smile. "You do know he won't marry you though, don't you?"

Hermione hadn't asked the question to be cruel but she didn't want her friend harbouring any false hope when it came to her relationship with the King. While Ginny could easily be the King's lover or mistress, she would never be his Queen. Even if King Severus did genuinely love Ginny, Hermione knew he wouldn't risk the scandal that marrying a maid would cause.

"I know we can't be together properly, but I'm happy to take what I can get." Ginny replied honestly.

"As long as you're happy, that's the important thing." Hermione said, speaking from experience. Her own situation certainly wasn't conventional but she was happy and that was what was important.

"I am." Ginny smiled. "I'm really happy."

"Good. You know, I'm really going to miss you." Hermione sighed, turning from her packing and facing her oldest friend. "Things just won't be the same without you."

"I'm going to miss you, too." Ginny smiled, embracing the Queen. "It's been an honour to serve you, My Lady."

"It's been an honour to be served by you." Hermione replied as the two women parted. "My new maid will have a lot to live up to."

Ginny smiled widely as the two women returned to the job in hand, packing up the Queen's belongings for her trip home. As they carried on packing and chatting, Hermione noticed the atmosphere was much more like it had always been between them. Finally talking about Ginny's affair with the King had cleared the air and made things more comfortable between them. Pleased to have at least one more awkward free night with her friend, Hermione chatted with Ginny quite happily as the two friends packed up Hermione's life.

* * *

**A/N - Just one more chapter to go in the immersion book, then Hermione is back to reality and has to face Draco and everyone else. **


	24. Chapter 24

Hermione was picking at her breakfast when Draco arrived in her chambers. She had slept pretty badly and was anxious to leave Slytherin far behind her and begin her new life with Draco in Gryffindor. Perching on the table beside her, Draco encouraged Hermione to eat a bit more as he reassured her the day would run smoothly.

"Did you tell anyone you were leaving?" Hermione asked as she stood up and gathered her cloak. Her bags had already been taken down to the carriage and the chambers looked identical to when she had first moved in.

"No." Draco shook his head. "I couldn't really tell anyone without telling them you were leaving and it's not my place to tell anyone that. Besides I don't know how the King is going to explain my departure."

"He's going to say that when I decided to leave, you decided to come with me." Hermione told her lover what she and the King had decided the previous evening. "Since he's not very happy with you at the minute, he can explain his disapproval by claiming he isn't happy that you're more loyal to me than to him if we use this excuse."

"I can't say I blame him for being angry with me." Draco sighed.

"I'm sorry for causing all this mess." Hermione moved closer to Draco and placed a comforting hand on his forearm.

"We caused this together." Draco replied, pulling Hermione into a hug. "And as much as I wish things were easier I don't regret our relationship at all."

"Neither do I." Hermione smiled and leant up to kiss Draco.

The kiss was short and sweet as the couple reluctantly parted and made their way out of the chambers for the last time. As they headed to the courtyard Hermione remained silent, she could see how hard it was for Draco to be leaving his home and she didn't want to interrupt his thoughts. By the time they reached the courtyard however, Draco looked like his normal self and it wasn't obvious he was leaving Slytherin for the last time.

The Gryffindor carriage and all five knights were already waiting for Hermione, as were the King, his knights and Ginny. As he stepped forward to speak to Hermione, King Severus blatantly ignored Draco, causing all the knights to look at each other in surprise. Seemingly oblivious to the King's snub, Draco moved down the remainder of the stairs and took his horse off a nearby stable boy and mounted it.

"It looks like this is goodbye." King Severus said, clearly aware that everyone was listening to their conversation.

"It is." Hermione nodded. "Goodbye, Severus."

"Goodbye, Hermione."

The King pressed a quick kiss to Hermione's cheek before letting her say goodbye to Ginny. After a tearful farewell with her maid, Hermione clambered into the carriage and the party began their departure from Slytherin. As they pulled out of the courtyard Hermione looked back, smiling slightly at the sight of the King and Ginny heading into the castle together. Maybe her marriage hadn't been a total waste of time after all, not only had it led her to Draco but King Severus and Ginny also seemed to have found each other.

The journey back to Gryffindor passed smoothly and fairly quickly, with just the one stop needed. During the stop Hermione heard Sir Harry and Sir Ron talking and discovered that Sir Harry was disappointed that Ginny wasn't returning with them. She also discovered that both Gryffindor knights assumed Draco was performing one last duty as Hermione's protector and once they returned to Gryffindor he would be leaving and Sir Ron would resume his previous duties. Hermione debated putting the duo right but she refrained when she remembered what King Albus had told her about making sure no-one found out about her relationship with Draco.

When they arrived back in Gryffindor, King Albus and Queen Minerva were waiting to greet Hermione. Stepping out of the carriage, Hermione embraced both parents and expressed her joy at being home. Queen Minerva was clearly thrilled to have her daughter back and even King Albus seemed to have accepted things.

"Colin, take Sir Draco's horse and get it settled in the stables." King Albus called, summoning the stable boy who was standing waiting for instructions.

Hermione watched as the boy she knew as Colin Creevey, approached Draco and took his horse to the stables. The five Gryffindor knights watched the scene in confusion and Hermione could only imagine the gossip they would indulge in once they were alone. It was obvious from the King's instructions that the knight from Slytherin wasn't going anywhere too soon and the Gryffindor knights had clearly picked up on it.

"Sir Draco, I've arranged for you to reside in the same room you used last time." The King said, addressing Draco personally. "Although right now, I think we all need to have a discussion about the future."

"Of course, Sire." Draco nodded respectfully at the old King.

"You three head on indoors, I'll be along shortly." King Albus said to Hermione, Queen Minerva and Sir Draco before turning to his knights.

Hermione took one last look at the puzzled faces of the Gryffindor knights before she turned and entered the castle with her mother and her lover.

**:::::::::**

Hermione stood on the turrets of the castle, looking out over the moonlit kingdom she had grown up in. Hermione had come up onto the roof as she sought a bit of fresh air to digest everything that had happened recently and to reflect on how things would progress from here. Hermione and Draco's talk with the King had produced a few ground rules the couple had to follow and Hermione wasn't sure she liked them.

The first thing King Albus had insisted on was that their relationship wasn't to be made public knowledge immediately. Instead he announced he would prefer it if for the time being Draco carried on his role of her protector and bodyguard and the couple made it look as though their romance was just blossoming. Hermione hadn't been happy about the arrangement but because of everything her father was doing and had done for her, she agreed with a few conditions of her own.

Hermione's main condition was that she wanted their romance to be a quick one which resulted in them marrying within a few months. King Albus readily agreed to the idea as that fit perfectly in with what he had planned for Hermione's baby. King Albus explained to Hermione and Draco that when Hermione gave birth he would arrange it so that the midwife present would say the baby was premature, meaning it was conceived after Hermione returned to Gryffindor. They all knew that wouldn't completely stop the rumours that would undoubtedly circulate after Hermione had given birth but they hoped it would alleviate some of them.

Hermione was so lost in her thoughts about the King's conditions that she didn't realise she wasn't alone until a pair of strong arms encircled her waist and pulled her against a firm body. Hermione smiled softly as Draco nuzzled against her neck while she settled into his embrace.

"How are you liking Gryffindor?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sure I'll like it just fine." Draco replied. "Especially once we can be together properly."

"It will only be a few months." Hermione reassured her lover. "But until then we'll just have to continue on as we've been doing."

"I guess we will." Draco responded, brushing his lips against Hermione's neck. "So how does it feel to be a princess again?"

Hermione chuckled and turned round in Draco's arms, so she was facing the blond. "It feels just like it should. How do you feel sleeping with a princess? After all you're used to bedding a Queen."

"There's only one way to find out." Draco grinned, leaning down and giving Hermione a breath-taking kiss. "I'll have to take the princess to bed and see how she compares to the Queen."

"What are you waiting for then?" Hermione asked cheekily. "Take me to bed."

"Yes, My Lady." Draco gave Hermione another passion filled kiss before they headed towards the stairs.

After leaving the roof the couple snuck back to Hermione's chambers where they locked the door before pouncing on each other. Clothes flew off in every direction as they hurriedly undressed each other as they made their way to bed. Toppling naked onto the bed, Hermione found herself pinned under Draco.

"I love you." Draco said, smiling down at Hermione.

Hermione smiled back as she leant up and pressed her lips against Draco's. "I love you, too."

As Draco's lips descended back on hers and his hands started to wander, Hermione felt the familiar fading of a scene. Disappointed that she wouldn't experience another frisky encounter with the knight, Hermione wondered if this was the end of the story and if she would end up back at Hogwarts.

**::::::::**

Hermione's thoughts about the potential end of the story faded as her new surroundings came into focus. Hermione was clearly still in the story as she found herself lying exhausted on a bed with several people fussing about the room. Propping herself up she spotted Queen Minerva and a woman she recognised as Madam Hooch, fussing over something at the bottom of the bed.

For the first time since the beginning of the story, Hermione found herself confused and having to search her memories for what she had missed. Searching her memories, Hermione realised it was nearly eight months since her and Draco had returned to Gryffindor. In that time the couple had gotten married and she had just given birth to their child, which the midwife had said was a boy minutes earlier.

As if on cue Hermione was handed a small bundle wrapped in a blue blanket. Hermione looked down at the infant in her arms and felt an overwhelming wave of love for the tiny prince. As Hermione looked down at her son, she was vaguely aware that Queen Minerva was opening the door and ushering two people into the room. Looking up Hermione smiled widely when Draco slowly advanced towards the bed and King Albus watched from a distance.

"Come and meet your son." Hermione said to Draco as he perched on the bed next to her.

"He's beautiful." Draco declared, gently stroking the smattering of pale hairs on the prince's head. "And so are you." He added, dropping a kiss to Hermione's forehead.

As Draco settled onto the bed properly, wrapping an arm securely around Hermione's waist, King Albus and Queen Minerva moved closer to the bed. King Albus openly stared at his grandson with tears glistening in his eyes while the Queen was also shedding the odd tear.

"I'll go and let the kingdom know we have a new prince." King Albus announced, giving Hermione a quick kiss on the cheek.

Hermione watched as the emotional King went off to deliver the news about the new baby. Even though they were still planning on saying the baby was premature, Hermione didn't think the truth would bother people. Since her return the people of Gryffindor had been thrilled to have her back and almost all of them had welcomed Draco with open arms. Their relationship had also been welcomed by the kingdom and very few rumours about the pair of them had surfaced.

The only person who had ever shown their displeasure of their relationship was Sir Ron. He had initially sulked for weeks when he found Draco was staying on and he wouldn't be getting his old job back as Hermione's protector. He then sulked even more when it became apparent that a romantic relationship was developing between Hermione and Sir Draco. Ever since her marriage Hermione had barely seen Ron and when she did encounter him, he treated her as the princess and nothing more, all signs of their previous friendship were gone.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Queen Minerva asked, bringing Hermione's attention back to the present.

Hermione shook her head as she looked down at the sleeping prince in her arms. "Not yet."

"There's no rush. It's better to take your time and choose the right name." The Queen said. "Anyway, I'll be going and leave you three alone."

The Queen gave both Hermione and Draco a kiss on the cheek and she gently kissed her grandson's head before leaving the family alone to bond. Hermione snuggled closer to Draco as the couple looked adoringly at their son. Their path to happiness may not have being easy and at times it got slightly messy but Hermione was convinced that they belonged together and she was thrilled she had gotten her happy ending with the man she loved.

As the scene started to fade yet again, Hermione was pretty certain she was leaving the story. The lead character had gotten her happily ever after with the handsome knight and as far as she could see there was nothing more left to tell. Now after living such a romantic story with Draco in the lead she had to head back to reality and learn to live with the gorgeous blond without jumping on him the first chance she got.

* * *

**A/N - This brings an end to the medieval portion of the story. I know King Severus's reaction wasn't as severe as it probably should have been. I debated his reaction for several days, but in the end I decided that since Hermione was reading a racy romance I would give the main character a happy ending, meaning the king had to let her go without too much of a fuss. Now the story heads back to Hogwarts, where Hermione has to face everyone after the story has ended.**


	25. Chapter 25

After a few minutes of darkness Hermione found her bedroom at Hogwarts coming into focus. She was still sitting in the same place as when she had cast the spell and a glance towards the clock on the wall revealed two hours had passed since then. Hermione sat for a few minutes as she tried to reconcile that she had experienced months' worth of memories in just two hours.

Looking down at the book sitting in front of her, Hermione started to think about the story she had lived through. Despite her reservations at the first steamy scene, Hermione had to admit she had thoroughly enjoyed the experience. All in all Hermione had enjoyed experiencing life as a medieval Queen and she had definitely enjoyed the Queen's affair with the handsome knight.

Hermione wasn't totally surprised that she had cast Draco as the leading man in the story as she had to admit since starting seventh year she had developed a bit of a crush on her fellow head. The problem was now she had to live with the blond for the rest of the year, knowing she had memories and some sort of experiences of being intimate with him. Hermione knew that Sir Draco hadn't been the real Draco but there were enough similarities between the two to make sure she struggled to separate the two in her head.

Then there was the fact she was now wondering if the real Draco was anything like his knightly counterpart. Despite trying not to, Hermione couldn't help but wonder if the real Draco was as good a kisser as Sir Draco and whether his touch was electrifying as the knights had been. Hermione also couldn't help but wondering if the real Draco happened to look as good naked as Sir Draco. She knew that Queen Hermione had been physically identical to her and everything she had seen of Sir Draco matched the real Draco, leaving her to think that maybe everything was the same with him as well.

Dragging her thoughts away from a naked Draco, Hermione placed the book on her nightstand and stood up. Walking over to the door, Hermione opened it quietly and poked her head out of her room. After what she had just experienced Hermione knew she wouldn't be able to look at Draco without blushing, so she was hoping to avoid him for as long as possible. Seeing and hearing nothing in regards to the blond boy she lived with, Hermione crept out of her bedroom and tiptoed down the stairs.

When she got to the common room it was in darkness, apart from the dying fire in the fireplace, so Hermione didn't bother to turn on the light as she made her way to the kitchen. After grabbing a glass of water, Hermione headed back into the common room on her way back to bed. Just as Hermione was passing the sofa the lights in the room suddenly lit up, revealing Draco sitting on the sofa. Hermione squealed at the unexpected sight and dropped her glass of water, causing the glass to shatter and water to splash all over her feet.

"What the hell are you doing sitting in the dark?" Hermione hissed as she whipped out her wand to clean the mess at her feet.

"Sorry." Draco replied, sounding anything but. "I was distracted."

"Too distracted to put a light on? What were you doing?" Hermione questioned. "On second thoughts, don't answer that." She hastily added as a few thoughts of what Draco could have been doing in the dark entered her head.

"That's a shame. I was just going to tell you how I've spent the last few hours." Draco said with a smirk.

Hermione immediately felt her cheeks heating up at the sight of Draco's smirk. It wasn't his everyday smirk, it was the exact same smirk Sir Draco used whenever him and Queen Hermione had been getting frisky or he was suggesting something risqué.

"Do you not want to hear what I've been doing?" Draco asked, chuckling at the sight of a flustered Hermione.

"No, I do not." Hermione huffed, turning away and heading towards the stairs.

"Are you sure, My Lady? It might prove interesting." Draco called after Hermione

Hermione froze as Draco called her something she had gotten used to hear Sir Draco call her. Slowly turning around she glared at the blond, who was still sitting on the sofa. "What did you just call me?"

"My Lady." Draco responded. "Or would you rather I call you, Your Majesty. Although personally I prefer My Lady, I did tend to use that one more often."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked.

"Your little immersion book." Draco said. "It's a funny story really, I was just sitting here minding my own business when suddenly I found myself zoning out and the next thing I knew I was a Knight, meeting his new Queen. I then kept on zoning out and ending up back in the kingdom of Slytherin, where I was having a racy affair with Queen Hermione."

Hermione gaped at the Slytherin, unwilling to accept what he was saying. At first she thought he was just winding her up by claiming to be in her book, after all he had looked at it earlier and knew what it was about. But as soon as he mentioned being in the kingdom of Slytherin, Hermione knew he was telling the truth. Without actually being in the story he would have no idea about the names of kingdoms.

"What did you do?" Hermione demanded as she found her voice. Storming over to the blond she stopped in front of him and pointed her wand at him. "What did you do to the book? Did you mess with the spell so you would be the lead character and join me when I cast the immersion spell?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Granger." Draco snorted. "I'm not that desperate that I'd manipulate your immersion book just to experience some action."

"How do you explain ending up in the story with me then?" Hermione asked, still glaring at the blond. "And how do you explain being cast in the lead role?"

"Firstly, I have no idea how I ended up in the book with you." Draco replied, pushing Hermione's wand out of his face. "And secondly, you cast me in the lead role all by yourself. Clearly someone has a crush on me."

"I do not." Hermione lied, not even convincing herself let alone the smug boy in front of her.

"Who can blame you really? I am rather impressive, even if I do say so myself." Draco smirked.

"Such an ego." Hermione rolled her eyes at the blond Slytherin. "You're really not that impressive at all."

"You weren't saying that earlier." Draco said, giving Hermione a smouldering look. "In fact throughout the book you were more than impressed with me."

"That wasn't you, it was the character." Hermione muttered, turning bright red at the implication behind Draco's words.

"Whether it was me or the character in the story, it was still my name you were screaming." Draco retorted, seemingly unfazed with Hermione's argument. "And if you're really unsure whether I can measure up to my knightly self, I'd be more than happy to re-enact a few of the steamier scenes."

"That won't be necessary." Hermione protested, ignoring the flush of desire that ran through her body at the thought.

"Anytime you do fancy some re-enactment, just say the word and I'll be there." Draco winked at Hermione and chuckled slightly as she blushed bright red yet again.

Turning away from Draco, Hermione sat down on the chair nearest the fire. She was totally mortified that Draco had been sucked into the book with her and had experienced everything she had but the whole thing was confusing her. The whole point of the books was for one person to live the story, not two.

"This makes no sense." Hermione muttered. "How did you even end up in the story? Are you sure you didn't tamper with the spell?"

"I swear, I never touched it." Draco said truthfully. "I admit I flicked through the book, but I never touched the spell. Surely the seal was still intact when you opened it."

"Yeah, it was." Hermione nodded, distinctly remembering breaking the seal for the spell herself.

"So we've established it wasn't my fault." Draco stated. "I didn't ask to be included in your dirty book. Not that I'm complaining in any way, I had a great time."

"What exactly happened?" Hermione asked the blond. She couldn't help but be pleased he had enjoyed himself in the story but now really wasn't the time to be thinking about that. "Were you in the book all the time?"

"No, I kept coming and going." Draco answered. "I was in the story a lot, but every now and again I would fade out and end up back here."

"What did you do when you ended up back here?"

"Not a lot." Draco shrugged. "It didn't take me long to realise I was in your book and I knew as the leading man I would be in the story more often than I was out of it, so I just sat and waited until I zoned out and headed back into the book."

"Could you remember things that had happened in between visits to the book?" Hermione asked, wondering how long it took for Draco to be so immersed in the book that he automatically knew what was happening.

"Whenever I went back into the book I had memories of everything that had happened since the last scene. The longer the story went on the easier it was to remember things." Draco explained.

Hermione nodded, Draco's experiences seemed to mirror hers somewhat but it still didn't explain how he had ended up in the book with her in the first place. Hermione knew she had cast the spell properly so she began to wonder if the spell itself was faulty.

"I have to admit, your casting was great." Draco said, brining Hermione out of her thoughts.

"What because you were the knight I was sleeping with?" Hermione asked.

"Well that was great casting, although it really wasn't necessary. All you have to do is ask and I'll willingly take you to bed." Draco smirked as Hermione lowered her head, clearly embarrassed by his openness. "But we can discuss that later, I was talking about your other casting choices."

"I didn't exactly choose the cast myself, the spell merely used my knowledge." Hermione replied, trying not to dwell on Draco's tempting offer to take her to bed. "And I actually think a lot of the casting had to do with who was the leading man."

"And here was me thinking you had Snape pegged as some kinky bloke and one of your best friends as a slapper." Draco chuckled as he remembered some of the stuff he had learnt about the King of Slytherin and the Queen's maid. He actually knew much more than Hermione as his knightly self hadn't wanted to freak his lover out too much. "Not to mention you finally seemed to have noticed that the Weasel is like some sort of lovesick puppy following you all over the place."

"Ron is not a lovesick puppy and Ginny is not a slapper." Hermione glared at the blond, suddenly remembering why she found him so annoying.

"I notice you didn't protest about Snape." Draco chuckled. "Does that mean you do think he's kinky in the bedroom? He does live in the dungeons after all."

"You lived in the dungeons for six years, does that make you kinky?" Hermione retorted, immediately regretting her glib question when Draco grinned wickedly at her. "Don't answer that." She said quickly, holding up her hand to stop the blond before he spoke and embarrassed her any further.

"You spoil all my fun." Draco pouted. "I wasn't even going to say anything too bad."

"I don't care what you were going to say, I don't want to hear it." Hermione said. "And as I was saying, I think Snape was cast as the King because of you."

"How do you think that?" Draco asked puzzled. "What do I have to do with you casting Snape as the kinky king?"

"I reckon he was cast as the King because the two rival kingdoms were Gryffindor and Slytherin. Everyone was cast in a role within their own house, meaning he was probably cast as the King because he's head of Slytherin. I did cast all the other heads as the Kings and Queens, after all."

Draco looked taken aback at Hermione's logic but after thinking about it for a few minutes he nodded his head. "That actually makes sense. Clearly once we were cast everyone else slipped into roles appropriate to their houses and characters."

"Exactly." Hermione smiled, pleased Draco saw her logic. The last thing she wanted people to think was that she had thought about Snape in the bedroom and had him pegged as someone with kinks.

"That's probably why Weasley was cast as the dipstick knight who was in love with you and was too blind to see you weren't interested. That's definitely a case of art imitating real life."

Hermione nodded and reluctantly agreed Draco was right. She'd already established the reason Ron was cast in that particular role but it was different to actually admit it to someone else. Basically she was admitting she knew Ron loved her and that she just wasn't willing to do anything about it. Although if the story had taught her one thing it was that she needed to speak to Ron and let him down gently. Her character in the story had failed to deal with Sir Ron and in the end it had cost her their friendship and that wasn't something she wanted to happen in real life.

"So what about Weaselette?" Draco questioned. "Did you cast her as your maid because she's your closest female friend or is she really that loose in real life?"

"Ginny is quite happy with Harry." Hermione replied. "True she may flirt a bit, but that doesn't mean she'll jump into bed with every man she meets."

"I would hope she has more self-control than the maid." Draco commented. "Honestly, until she got together with King kinky, she was bedding everyone. Even Crabbe and Goyle got some action."

"Well it was just a story and luckily only you and I know exactly what happened." Hermione said. "I suggest we make a pact never to speak of this night again."

"No." Draco shook his head. "I'll agree not to mention it to anyone else, but I'm certainly going to keep mentioning it to you."

"Why?" Hermione queried.

Draco smiled before suddenly getting up and moving so he was leaning over Hermione's chair, their heads mere inches apart. "Because I enjoyed it and so did you. And if I keep talking about it, I can persuade you to try out the real thing."

"You really think that will happen?" Hermione questioned, trying hard not to lean forward and press her lips against Draco's.

"I know it will." Draco whispered, moving closer to Hermione.

Just as their lips were about to touch a loud knock sounded on the door. Cursing at the bad timing of their visitor, Draco pulled away from Hermione and stalked across the room to open the door.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N - Thanks for all the great reviews on the previous chapter. Next chapter will deal with what exactly is wrong with the book but this chapter deals with the two hours that Hermione spent in the book. A lot of people did guess the extent of the book's problems, but I hope you all still enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**Two Hours Earlier.**

Albus Dumbledore finished up the last of his paperwork and began tidying his desk. Since it was Saturday night he was planning on heading to his private chambers, where he was going to make himself a mug of hot chocolate and curl up with a book. The Headmaster was just about to stand up and leave his office when he suddenly felt strange.

Remaining in his seat, Dumbledore slowly zoned out and within a minute he was sitting perfectly still, staring blankly into space. Dumbledore remained like that for several minutes, until all of a sudden he found himself coming to his senses.

"What was that?" He muttered to himself as he shook his head.

One minute he had been sitting in his own office and the next he had been pulled into some sort of medieval setting where he was a King. Dumbledore had been rather taken aback to find that not only was he King, but he was married to Minerva McGonagall and his daughter was Hermione Granger. He was also less than impressed to find he had no control over his actions and words, all he could do was sit back and watch what happened.

Dumbledore was just getting an idea of what was happening when Severus Snape entered things as the King of Slytherin. He was then totally bemused when a change of scene resulted in his enjoying the wedding feast of Snape and Hermione. Luckily he wasn't around long enough to witness too much interaction between the couple before he found himself exiting the scene and moments later he was back in his office.

Dumbledore was trying to work out what had happened when there was a knocking on the door, followed by Professor McGonagall rushing into the office. The deputy headmistress looked extremely flustered but Dumbledore barely had time to register it before she started telling him about what she had just experienced. Dumbledore listened in surprise as McGonagall described experiencing the exact same thing as he had just done.

"Interesting." Dumbledore mused. "It would seem we've both experienced the same phenomenon."

"But what was it?" McGonagall questioned.

"I have no idea." Dumbledore admitted. "But I suspect Miss Granger holds the key to what has happened."

McGonagall was just about to ask if she should go and get Hermione when the door to Dumbledore's office burst open and a paler than normal Severus Snape burst in.

"I've just experienced something strange." Severus announced, not even bothering to greet his colleagues. "Or more accurately, I've just experienced something truly horrifying."

"Let me guess, you suddenly found yourself as King of Slytherin marrying Miss Granger." Dumbledore said.

"How did you know?" Snape asked, looking at the headmaster in bewilderment.

"Minerva and I experienced the same thing." Dumbledore replied. "Not that I'm sure what it was we were experiencing."

"Maybe we can work that out later, but I think we need to see if anyone else is experiencing this phenomenon." McGonagall piped up. "Maybe we should try and gather the students that we encountered."

"That's an excellent idea." Dumbledore nodded at the witch standing opposite him. "But I'm not sure it's safe for us to go wandering around in case we zone out again. I'll contact Filius and Pomona and get them to gather the appropriate students."

Getting up Dumbledore used the floo network to talk to the other two Professors and ask them to gather up the students they had encountered in their visit to medieval times. Once the message was delivered, Dumbledore began gathering chairs that he arranged around his desk. Snape and McGonagall settled into seats and once Dumbledore had finished fussing, he returned to his own seat behind his desk.

"Hopefully someone will be able to provide us with answers to what's happening." Dumbledore remarked as they waited for everyone to arrive.

Luckily they didn't have to wait very long before Professor Flitwick arrived with four Slytherins, Blaise Zabini, Theo Nott, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. The Slytherins settled themselves in seats as they confirmed to the headmaster they had all experienced a trip to a medieval kingdom where they were knights.

"I also called by the head dorms." Flitwick said to Dumbledore. "The portrait confirmed that both the Head Boy and Head Girl were inside but I couldn't enter without the password and I was getting no response to knocking."

"I think we just have to hope Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy have the sense to remain in their dorm." Dumbledore sighed. "I think we also have to hope that one of the Gryffindors know what's going on."

"Now's our chance to ask them." McGonagall commented as the office door opened and Professor Sprout trooped in with six Gryffindors.

As well as Harry, Ron and Ginny, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were present. Like everyone else the six Gryffindors confirmed they were experiencing the exact same thing. All five boys had been knights of Gryffindor whilst Ginny confirmed she had experienced being Hermione's maid.

"Do any of you have any idea what's going on?" Dumbledore asked, once the Gryffindors were seated.

"I think we're in an immersion book." Ginny replied when all the boys shook their heads. "Hermione got one for her birthday and it was set in medieval times."

"If it's an immersion book, why are we all in it?" Blaise asked. "Only the lead character experiences the book."

"Clearly something has gone wrong with the spell." Dumbledore replied.

"Well then we should go to the Head dorms and stop this now." Snape insisted.

"That could be dangerous to Miss Granger." Dumbledore argued. "Because we don't know exactly what we're dealing with, it would be unwise to break the spell."

"Are you suggesting we do nothing and carry on with this?" Snape questioned, looking worried at the prospect.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting." Dumbledore smiled at the assembled group. "All we can do is sit back and enjoy the story."

"That's easy for you to say, you're not married to one of your students in it." Snape muttered, causing the Slytherins to chuckle quietly amongst themselves.

Dumbledore also looked amused by the mention of Snape and Hermione's marriage in the story, but he refrained from saying anything when the Potions master glared at the chuckling boys in his house. Instead of dwelling on Snape's marriage he began asking the others about their experiences in the story, now he knew they couldn't do anything but wait it out he wanted to know what was happening when he wasn't a part of the tale.

As the group were talking Snape and Ginny regularly zoned out and the other Slytherins did the same thing occasionally. Dumbledore continued asking questions about the story and they established that Hermione was the lead character and Draco was the knight she was having an affair with. Ron was less than impressed with the conclusions and refused to believe that Hermione had cast the blond Slytherin as her leading man. However he had to concede the point as the story carried on and no-one else got romantically involved with Hermione's character.

For a while things passed fairly uneventfully, until the four Slytherins all emerged from the story. The minute they came back to reality Crabbe grabbed at his foot, mumbling about it still being there. Blaise explained about Sir Vincent's accident in the story as everyone looked at Crabbe as though he was mad.

"Don't worry, Mr Crabbe. Nothing that happens in the book happens to you in real life." Dumbledore reassured the panicked Slytherin. "You may have the memory of various things happening to you, but they don't really happen."

"Shame." Theo muttered to Blaise, who nodded along with his friend. "I have some rather interesting memories."

"Me too." Blaise responded, looking at Ginny who was still in the trance.

The two Slytherin boys whispered quietly together for a few minutes, occasionally shooting glances the redhead's way. Harry and Ron both looked towards the duo angrily and Dumbledore had to remind them to behave and that nothing was really happening, it was all just the story.

A few minutes later Snape and Ginny snapped out of the trance and then there was a long gap before people started snapping back in and out of reality. As the fading in and out continued Dumbledore continued to ask questions about the story and he was pleased to hear that a trip to Gryffindor was approaching, meaning he was hopefully in the story again.

Dumbledore got his wish a few minutes later when the Gryffindors started fading in and out as the trip to Gryffindor got under way. By this point Dumbledore was thoroughly enjoying himself and he was disappointed when the trip to Gryffindor ended and Hermione returned to Slytherin.

Once again it was just the Slytherins fading in and out, although after one trip Snape was suddenly looking very uncomfortable. When Ginny returned moments later and the pair hurriedly made sure they weren't looking at each other, speculation started to arise.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked.

"Nothing." Snape snapped. "The knights were just training for the upcoming tournament."

While it was very clear something more than that had happened, Dumbledore let the subject drop, although he vowed to keep a close eye on the pair. Shortly after that incident Flitwick zoned out and when he returned Sprout followed suit. They had barely managed to explain they had arrived for the tournament when Dumbledore, McGonagall and the Gryffindors all faded out and returned to the story.

For quite a while after that there was no time to talk as people were fading in and out regularly and several times the entire office was in the story as the tournament was held. Despite the regular fading in and out Dumbledore managed to keep an eye on Snape and Ginny, the longer the story was going on the more they couldn't look each other in the eye. Dumbledore was beginning to suspect something was happening between the pair of them in the story but he didn't really like to ask in case no-one else had picked up on it. Once the tournament was over and the comings and goings had settled down in became obvious that the Slytherins knew what was happening between Snape and Ginny. More than once Dumbledore had caught Blaise and Theo muttering quietly to themselves and he was pretty sure it was only Snape's icy glare that kept them silent.

Snape himself was looking increasingly uncomfortable with the story and he had once again asked Dumbledore if they could end the spell. Dumbledore was sure the plea to end the spell was a result of children being mentioned in the story. Whatever was happening with Ginny was torment enough for the Potions Professor and it was obvious he wouldn't cope well with anything happening with Hermione as well. Unfortunately for Snape, Dumbledore once again reiterated that they had to see the story through to the end without interfering.

Fortunately for Snape the story was rapidly coming to an end. After a bit of a lull regarding the people in the office Blaise, Dumbledore, McGonagall and the Gryffindors were in action as Hermione made another trip back home. After they had finished their part in the story it was back to Slytherin where Snape and Ginny were in action again.

Snape, Ginny and the Slytherins soon emerged from the story for the final time, at least they thought it was the final time as Hermione had returned home and they had all stayed in Slytherin. The Gryffindors, Dumbledore and McGonagall all faded in and out a few more times before they also seemed to remain in the office.

"I think it's over." McGonagall announced when no-one had faded out for nearly ten minutes.

"Are you sure?" Snape asked. "We've had breaks like this before."

"Yes, but in the last scene I was in Hermione had just given birth." McGonagall explained. "We jumped months to get there, I'm guessing that was the epilogue."

"What happens now?" Snape asked Dumbledore.

"I want to wait a bit longer to be sure the book is finished, then we should go and speak to Miss Granger." Dumbledore replied.

"All of us?" McGonagall asked. "Surely once we've determined its safe the students can return to their dorms."

"Until I know exactly what has happened I want us all to stick together." Dumbledore said. "We can all go to the Head dorms."

At Dumbledore's words Harry and Ron shared a worried look, not that anyone spotted them. While the Gryffindor duo were wondering if it was the fact they had bought the book at Knockturn Alley was responsible for the spell going wrong, everyone else was reacting to the story they had lived through. Dean, Seamus and Neville were discussing their experiences at being knights, as were Crabbe and Goyle. Blaise and Theo however were discussing their respective flings with Ginny and whispering about her affair with Snape. Snape and Ginny were both ignoring the gossip as they did their best not to accidentally look at each other.

After another fifteen minutes Dumbledore was satisfied that the story had ended and it was safe for the group to leave the office. Leading the way the headmaster led the group of students and teachers to the Head Dorms where he knocked on the door. Minutes after knocking the door was flung open by an annoyed looking Head Boy.


	27. Chapter 27

Draco was really annoyed that he had been disturbed mere moments before he got to discover if Hermione was as good of a kisser as she had been in the story. He fully expected her to be just as good as she had been in the book, but now he would have to wait until later to find out. In fact Draco now wasn't sure when, or even if, he would get another chance with Hermione. He was worried that if he didn't act when her thoughts and feelings were still fresh from the story that she might not give him a chance.

Still mentally cursing the idiot at the door, Draco pulled open the door. Draco had fully intended on telling whoever was at the door to bugger off but upon spotting the headmaster he realised that wasn't an option, no matter how tempting it was.

"Mr Malfoy, may we come in?" Dumbledore asked.

It was only at the word we that Draco realised the headmaster wasn't alone. Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick and Sprout were all standing behind the headmaster. As if that wasn't strange enough, his four friends were also present as were all the Gryffindor boys in seventh year and Ginny.

As Draco stepped back to let everyone into the common room he realised that almost everyone had featured pretty heavily in the medieval story. Draco suddenly had a funny feeling what was about to happen, it just seemed like too much of a coincidence that everyone should show up not long after the story had ended. Draco was now pretty confident that he hadn't been the only person in the story that shouldn't have been there, from the looks of things the entire cast had been present in the tale.

Hermione had also seemed to come to the same conclusion, as when everyone trooped into the room she had become distinctly uncomfortable. Refusing to look at anyone, Hermione kept her eyes focused on the plush carpet below her feet. It was mortifying enough that Draco had been in the story and had memories of being intimate with her but she didn't want to believe that everyone else had been present. Snape and Ginny especially were her major concerns, just remembering what she knew about them was bad enough but she shuddered to think that her best female friend and her Potions Professor had memories of being together in a sexual way.

"Miss Granger, we've come to talk to you about your immersion book." Dumbledore began, once everyone was gathered around the seating area.

"Please tell me you weren't all there." Hermione whispered, clinging onto the hope she had just been jumping to conclusions.

"I'm afraid so." Dumbledore said. "Although it was actually rather fun, if not a bit unexpected." He added with a smile.

"Speak for yourself." Snape muttered. "I didn't have fun."

"Really?" Draco grinned mischievously from beside Snape. He had just been passing his head of house to return to his seat on the sofa when he had heard the muttering. "From what I remember you were having plenty of fun."

"Draco, shut up." Snape snarled at the Head Boy.

"Sorry, I was under the impression you liked redheads." Draco shrugged. "Or maybe you just objected to the kinkier nature of the sex."

"That is enough." Snape yelled, turning bright red at Draco's implications. "Come to my office tomorrow morning and we can discuss the weeks' worth of detentions you've just earned yourself."

"Man you would think someone with the memories of constantly getting some action would be in a better mood." Blaise muttered as his friend slunk down on the sofa.

"Thank you, Mr Zabini, for volunteering to join Mr Malfoy in detention." Snape glared at Blaise. "I'll expect you in my office with him in the morning."

"That's not fair." Theo protested. "It was Granger that cast you as a kinky king in her little fairy tale. She should be punished, not us innocent Slytherins."

"Now I have a set of three for detention." Snape declared, giving Theo the exact same instructions as Draco and Blaise regarding his whereabouts the following morning. "Would anyone else care to make a comment?" He asked, turning his frosty glare on the group of Gryffindors, who all hastily shook their heads and kept their mouths shut.

"Perhaps we can got back to the reason we're here." McGonagall tutted. "Finding out why we all ended up in the book."

"Granger clearly messed up the spell." Theo snorted.

"I did not." Hermione retorted, glaring at the Slytherin. "I cast the spell perfectly."

"Clearly not, or we wouldn't have all ended up in the book." Theo snapped back.

"Enough." Dumbledore called, raising his hands as he called for silence. "Miss Granger, could I please have a look at the book so I can see the spell."

Hermione nodded and rushed off to her bedroom, pleased to be away from the crowd in the common room. Once in her room, Hermione took her time gathering the book. She was totally mortified that everyone had been present in the book and despite her protests she was now worrying that she had cast the spell incorrectly. Normally it wouldn't be something she was worried about but she had to admit when she cast the spell she had been annoyed at Draco and was doing it more to prove a point to him, rather than she was actually ready to do the spell.

Knowing she couldn't delay her return any longer, Hermione composed herself before leaving her bedroom and heading back to the common room. Handing the book to Dumbledore, Hermione sat back down on her chair and continued not to make eye contact with anyone.

"Was the spell sealed?" Dumbledore asked, as he examined the spell in the front of the book. "It hadn't been tampered with had it?"

"No, it was sealed. I opened it minutes before casting the spell." Hermione answered.

"You'll be pleased to know, Miss Granger that you didn't cast the spell wrong. Like you said, you cast it perfectly." Dumbledore smiled reassuringly at Hermione when she looked up, visibly relieved that the strange events hadn't been caused by her.

"If Hermione cast the spell right, then what happened?" Ginny asked, speaking for the first time since telling Dumbledore about the immersion book in the first place. "Why did we all end up in the story?"

"We all ended up in the story because that's what this spell is designed to do." Dumbledore explained. "This book doesn't have the right spell attached. It is a genuine immersion book but the spell had been changed so that everyone in the story will experience the tale."

"How is that possible?" McGonagall asked. "What sort of a place would sell a book like that without a warning?"

"I have no idea." Dumbledore replied. "As I said the book is a genuine immersion book and all the instructions clearly state that the spell caster only will enter the book as the lead character. All I can think of is that someone somehow managed to tamper with a batch of the books and change the spells."

"Then we need to inform people." McGonagall declared. "Miss Granger, where did you buy the book?"

"I didn't buy it. It was a birthday present from Harry and Ron." Hermione answered, looking at her two best friends for the first time since they entered the room.

Everyone's attention switched to the two Gryffindors. Harry and Ron were standing with their heads bent and they were shuffling guiltily from foot to foot. One glance at the pair revealed to everyone that they had some sort of idea what had gone wrong with the book.

"What did you two do?" McGonagall asked the two boys. "Did you tamper with the spell?"

"No." Ron shook his head vehemently. "We never touched the spell."

"Where did you get the book?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well we looked in Diagon Alley but they were too expensive in Flourish and Blotts." Harry explained. "We then heard of a shop selling them for half price so we went there."

"Where was this shop?" Snape snapped, annoyed with the long winded explanation.

"Knockturn Alley." Harry muttered, sheepishly.

Harry's confession was met by disbelieving looks by the Professors, Hermione and the other Gryffindors. The Slytherins however burst out laughing at the revelation, with both Blaise and Theo making a few scathing remarks to the Gryffindor duo.

"What were you thinking, shopping in Knockturn Alley?" McGonagall questioned in an unimpressed voice. "You were just asking for trouble."

"We didn't know the book had a dodgy spell." Ron protested.

"Yeah, because Knockturn Alley is a totally respectable place and it's a complete shock that you picked up a dodgy book." Blaise scoffed.

"I'm just shocked the little goody goody's had the balls to shop in Knockturn Alley." Theo said, looking at the two Gryffindors in surprise. "I thought they would have taken one step into the street before turning and fleeing."

Harry and Ron glared at the Slytherin, both annoyed that he had figured they would be too afraid of Knockturn Alley. They were both trying hard to forget that in fact they had been pretty spooked and had practically sprinted out of the street once they had the book in their possession.

"I'm disappointed in both of you." Dumbledore announced, stopping the bickering between the students with his serious tone. "We need to have a serious talk about this, but that can wait until tomorrow. Right now, I think it's time we all headed back to our respective rooms."

"What about the spell?" Snape asked. "Will there be any side effects."

"No, there shouldn't be any." Dumbledore replied. "The spell is basically just an altered version of the one that should be there, so we'll be fine."

"Good, I can leave now." Snape declared, turning on his heel and storming out of the head dorms.

Professor's Sprout and Flitwick followed Snape, as did the Slytherin's after saying goodbye to Draco. When the Gryffindors began to leave Hermione stopped Harry and Ron, ordering her friends to remain behind so they could talk. Ginny also stayed behind with her brother and boyfriend, eager to see what sort of reason they had for shopping in Knockturn Alley.

"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, I want you both in my office tomorrow morning." Dumbledore told the two boys, before turning to Hermione. "Miss Granger, I'll take this book for safe keeping but I'll make sure you get a real immersion book in its place."

"That's really not necessary, Professor." Hermione protested.

"Nonsense, I insist." Dumbledore said with a smile, before leaving with McGonagall.

Once the Professor's had left, Hermione turned to glare at her two best friends. "Why did you do it?" She demanded. "You didn't have to go shopping in Knockturn Alley just to make me happy, I would have liked anything I'd gotten from you."

"We heard you telling Ginny how much you would love an immersion book and the idea stuck." Harry said, trying to explain their reasoning to Hermione. "We really wanted to get you something special."

"I appreciate that, I really do." Hermione smiled at the duo. "But why didn't you just get me something else when you couldn't afford one in Diagon Alley."

"That was my fault." Ron admitted quietly. "I really wanted you to have an immersion book."

"Why?" Hermione looked puzzled as to why Ron was so desperate for her to have an immersion book.

"Isn't it obvious?" Draco questioned with a laugh. "Weasley thought that if you had an immersion book he would end up being your leading man. Hell, he probably deliberately bought you a racy one in the hope that you would want to experience the real thing when you finished the book."

"That's not true." Hermione said to Draco before turning to Ron, who was looking pretty sheepish. "Tell me that's not why you bought the book, Ron?" She pleaded with her friend.

Instead of answering Ron hung his head as he turned red.

"I can't believe you." Ginny tutted at her brother. "What sort of idiotic plan was that?"

"It would have worked fine, if it wasn't for him." Ron muttered, glaring at Draco. "He wasn't supposed to get the starring role."

"I obviously got the starring role because Granger would rather shag me than you." Draco smirked, unable to resist taunting the redhead.

"Only in a story, she wouldn't touch you in real life." Ron snarled back.

"Stop it the pair of you." Hermione snapped at the bickering duo. "Ron, I'm sorry but I'm just not interested in you in that way. You're one of my best friends, but that's as far as it goes."

"What about him?" Ron asked, glaring at the blond haired Slytherin. "Is there anything going on with him?"

"No, not that it's any of your business." Hermione responded as she stood up. "I'm off to bed now, I trust you can see yourselves out."

Once Hermione had stormed off to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her, Draco turned to the three Gryffindors. "You can leave now." He said, gesturing to the door.

Harry and Ginny immediately headed for the door but Ron remained where he was, glaring at Draco.

"What's the problem, Weasley?" Draco asked with a sigh. "Have you forgotten your way back to your dorm?"

"No, I just want to give you a warning." Ron said, causing the blond to raise an eyebrow in his direction. "Leave Hermione alone."

"Is that it?" Draco sighed.

"Yes." Ron nodded. "Stay away from her."

"I really think that's Granger's decision to make." Draco replied, finally managing to manoeuvre Ron out of the common room. "And just so you know, I have no intention of leaving her alone. I want her and I'm going to get her."

Ron gaped at the Slytherin and his confession but before he had a chance to respond, Draco slammed the door in his face. Turning away from the door, Draco smirked at the look on the redhead's face but the smirk faded as his thoughts turned back to Hermione.

Draco stood in the common room for a bit while he debated over whether or not to go and speak to Hermione. She may have stormed off angrily but her anger hadn't been aimed in his direction and before Dumbledore had arrived they had been on the verge of kissing. Making the decision to speak to Hermione right away, Draco strode through the common room and headed upstairs. Once upstairs he paused slightly before knocking on Hermione's door, he could hear the Gryffindor pacing and muttering inside and he hoped he was doing the right thing by not leaving her alone.


	28. Chapter 28

Hermione angrily paced her bedroom, trying to decide who exactly she was angrier with. Obviously she was angry with Harry and Ron for buying her book in Knockturn Alley. While she really wanted to say they had done it because they were just trying to be nice to her, she now knew the real reason they were so desperate for her to get an immersion book and unfortunately her happiness wasn't the main reason they ventured into a street known for its sale of dark materials. She was also angry with Ron's idiotic idea to try and get her attention and she was mad that Harry had gone along with the plan. But most of all she was mad at herself, deep down she knew this whole thing was her fault.

Hermione knew that if she had just summoned the courage to speak to Ron earlier then this mess could all have been avoided. Ron had only bought the book because he genuinely thought he had a chance with her so if she had just told him earlier that she only saw him as a friend then all this might have been avoided. Instead she had chickened out of speaking with her friend and he had found out, in a rather harsh way, that her romantic feelings were aimed at a very different boy to him.

Hermione's thoughts were just drifting to Draco, and the kiss they almost shared, when there was a quiet knock at her door. Knowing it could be no-one else but Draco, Hermione composed herself before walking over to the door and opening it. Just as she had predicted, Draco was standing in the doorway.

"Hey, I'd thought I'd check you were alright." Draco said. "You kind of left abruptly."

"I'm fine." Hermione told the blond. "I just didn't want to talk with Ron right there, I was still mad at his and Harry's stupidity and was worried I would end up saying something I would later regret."

"So you're not mad at me for any reason?" Draco checked. He didn't think Hermione was mad at him but he did figure she might be a bit peeved that he had taunted Weasley about his role in the book.

"No, I'm not mad at you." Hermione shook her head. "You didn't exactly help with the whole Ron situation, but I suppose you were just telling the truth, albeit in a blunt way."

"I don't exactly see the point in beating around the bush. I just told Weasley what everyone had already figured out." Draco shrugged.

"Thanks for reminding me." Hermione groaned. "I want to try and forget everyone was in the story. I really don't know how I'll face some people next week."

"It was just a harmless story. Most people will have forgotten all about it in a few weeks." Draco reassured Hermione.

"I hope so." Hermione muttered.

"Not that I'm planning on forgetting it anytime soon, mind you." Draco said with a wicked grin. "I thoroughly enjoyed myself and plan to remember it for a long time."

"Why?" Hermione questioned. "What's the big deal with this story? As you pointed out you don't need an immersion book to get some action so why are these memories so special?"

"Because they're of you." Draco replied, admitting the reason he planned on remembering the story for quite a while. "And at the minute I'm not sure if they're all I've ever have of you."

"You only want me because of the story." Hermione protested. She refused to believe that Draco was really interested in her, she was blaming his infatuation on the passionate love story they had just experienced.

"You know that's not true." Draco argued. "I admit, the story has intensified what I feel for you, but the feelings were already there before and you know it."

"Do I?" Hermione questioned.

"Yes." Draco stated, his grey eyes boring into Hermione. "You're not stupid, Hermione, so don't pretend you are. You know very well that I've been flirting with you since we returned to school."

"I thought you were just messing with me." Hermione said. In truth she had been unsure if Draco had been teasing or if his attention had been genuine interest. "You've never shown any interest in me before."

"Have you ever looked?" Draco questioned. "You've pretty much ignored me since first year, because Potter and Weasley don't like me. For all you know, I noticed you years ago."

"Did you?" Hermione asked. She was feeling slightly bad that Draco was right and that she had pretty much dismissed him because of his rivalry with Harry and Ron, which had been established before she was even friends with the duo.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." Draco smirked.

"And when will I find it out?" Hermione pouted, disappointed that she still didn't know how long Draco had been interested in her.

"How about next weekend, when you agree to go a date with me." Draco replied.

"You're asking me out?" Hermione looked at the blond in shock. She had never really expected him to ask her out and she was unsure how to respond.

"Yes Granger, I'm asking you out." Draco smirked at the flustered witch in front of him. "So will you?"

"Yes, I will." Hermione smiled. "But I have a few conditions."

"Go ahead." Draco said. He was unable to keep the large grin from his face, which had formed the second Hermione had said yes to him.

"First of all my name's Hermione, not Granger. If we are going out you have to use my first name, and I know you can because you did it a few minutes ago."

"That's fine, Hermione." Draco nodded. He was more than happy to use the Gryffindor's given name, especially if it meant she would use his. "Is there a second condition?"

"Yes there is, Draco." Hermione responded, deliberately using the blond's first name to indicate that the name thing was a two way thing. "Just because we were intimate in the immersion book doesn't mean I'm going to jump into bed with you. I may have the memories of what it was like and can remember how it felt but I've never experienced it in real life and I'm not planning on rushing into anything."

"I'm not going to push you into anything you're not ready for." Draco said honestly. While he may have been joking around earlier about re-enacting some scenes from the book, realistically he had known that Hermione was likely to be a virgin and wouldn't fall into bed with him so easily.

"Thank you." Hermione said, exchanging smiles with Draco.

"That doesn't mean I won't be thinking about it though." Draco suddenly added, his smile turning distinctly mischievous. "We did some pretty hot stuff and I can't wait to try it in real life."

Hermione blushed at the words, but still managed to voice a nagging doubt that had been sitting at the back of her head. "What if I'm not as good in real life?"

"That's not going to happen." Draco chuckled, stepping forward slightly so he could cup Hermione's cheek in his hand. "I predict you're going to be every bit as passionate as the Queen, if not more so."

"That still doesn't mean I'll be any good." Hermione sighed. "I might have these memories of what to do, but that doesn't mean I can do it."

"If the worst happens and you're a total failure in bed, we can just keep practising until you're better." Draco joked, before turning serious again. "Although in all seriousness, you won't be terrible and it's not worth worrying yourself over."

"Thanks." Hermione smiled softly at the blond. "I guess I was being stupid worrying over it."

"You weren't being stupid, it's natural to worry before having sex. Although, I do think that maybe you should forget all about it until you're ready for that. Anyway, I should be getting to bed. We can discuss our date properly tomorrow, if you like." Draco said. He was reluctant to leave Hermione but knew that he really should go.

"I'm looking forward to it." Hermione said.

"So am I." Draco smiled, leaning down and brushing his lips against Hermione's cheek. "Night, Hermione."

"Goodnight, Draco."

**:::::::::::**

Hermione spent the week following her birthday excitedly looking forward to her date with Draco. She also spent a fair portion of her time getting to know her fellow Head student better, when of course he wasn't serving detention with his two friends down in Snape's classroom. Despite the couple not yet going on their date, they had shared their first proper kiss a few days earlier.

The kiss had happened whilst they were studying and within seconds their books were discarded as they embraced passionately. Hermione was surprised to find the experience was exactly as she remembered from the story, even though technically she was experiencing her first kiss with Draco it felt like it was something she had done hundreds of times before. Despite Hermione's insistence that the physical side of their relationship would be slow moving, the kissing soon included groping and by the time they finished Hermione was sitting straddled on Draco's lap and the pair of them were both incredibly turned on. Things didn't progress any further but Hermione suspected that if their date went well, she would be in Draco's bed sooner rather than later.

In the week since her birthday, Hermione had also spoken to Ron properly. For the first time the pair of friends had sat down and had an honest talk about their feelings for one another. Hermione had made it perfectly clear to Ron that she loved him as a friend and nothing more. She also made it clear that she didn't want to lose his friendship and that it was very important to her. Ron admitted that while he was in love with Hermione, he could accept that nothing was ever going to happen between them. He also said that her friendship was too important to lose, so even if he did dislike the fact she was dating someone else he wouldn't cause any problems.

The only other major thing that had happened since Hermione's birthday was the fact that the incident with the book was common knowledge around school. Since several people in school had briefly appeared in the story most people knew something strange had happened the previous Saturday night but by the end of the weekend the full story was all around school. Everyone knew Harry and Ron had bought the offending book in Knockturn Alley and that Hermione had been the one to cast the spell. Rumours about who the leading characters were spread quickly, but Snape and Ginny seemed to be the focus of attention.

Ginny just laughed the gossip off, insisting she was nothing like the promiscuous maid she had been in the story when several boys tried it on with her. Snape however did not take kindly to the gossip and almost every night he had a classroom full of students in detention, after he had caught them gossiping about him.

Luckily a week later the gossip surrounding the book and its participants was fading, so no-one paid Hermione any extra attention when she arrived for breakfast all dressed up. The only people who did comment on her appearance were Harry, Ron and Ginny, when she settled down next to them at the Gryffindor table. Her three friends all knew about the date with Draco, and while Ron wasn't too impressed he stuck to the promise he had made earlier in the week and didn't make any snide remarks.

"So what are you doing with Draco today?" Ginny asked Hermione.

"I think we're just heading into Hogsmeade for the day." Hermione replied.

"We'll be in The Three Broomsticks at lunchtime if you want to join us." Harry said to his friend.

Hermione smiled back at her friend, appreciating the gesture he had made. She knew her decision to date Draco wouldn't be one her friends were too keen on but she really appreciated the fact that they were all making an effort to be civil to the Slytherin. Even Ron, who struggled the most with the idea, hadn't caused any trouble, in fact he nodded along to Harry's idea.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't think we'll be joining you today." Hermione said. "Maybe another time."

"Sure." Ron shrugged, secretly relived that he didn't have to put up with Malfoy over lunch. While he was behaving for Hermione's sake he knew it would take him a while to accept the Head Boy as Hermione's boyfriend.

"Anyway, I better be going." Hermione told her friends as she stood up. "I'm meeting Draco in five minutes. Bye guys."

"Have fun." Ginny waved at Hermione as she exited The Great Hall.

Harry, Ron and Ginny practically followed Hermione out of The Great Hall and when they emerged into the entrance hall Hermione and Draco were just exiting the school.

"Aw, don't they look cute together?" Ginny asked, watching the chattering couple as they headed outdoors.

"If you say so, Gin." Harry rolled his eyes at his girlfriend and exchanged bemused looks with Ron.

"I do say so." Ginny replied, unfazed that the two boys weren't as enthusiastic as her regarding Hogwarts newest couple. "I also think that you two did a good thing for Hermione, even if it was totally unintentional."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"I mean that you two brought Hermione and Draco together." Ginny answered, grinning at the two boys. "Who knows, maybe without that immersion book they never would have admitted their feelings for each other."

Harry and Ron exchanged shocked looks before turning round and peering outside at the diminishing figures of their friend and enemy. They had bought the book with the intention of bringing Hermione and Ron together, but instead they had appeared to have brought Hermione together with the boy they had both disliked since first year.

* * *

**A/N - There is now just the epilogue of this story left, then it is complete. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this and I especially want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review, I greatly appreciate it. **

**I also just want to mention something I am currently planning. I was thinking of writing some extra scenes from my stories and publishing them as a collection of added extra's. Please let me know if there is anything I've mention in any of my stories that you would like to know more about and I will make a note of it. It could be a past event that was briefly mentioned or at the end of the story where you would like to know more about a certain thing, anything at all. I've already started noting down a few ideas, but all ideas were welcome. ****This goes for all my stories, not just this one. **


	29. Epilogue

**One Year Later.**

As soon as Hermione entered her flat she shrugged off her jacket and removed her heels. Wandering through the living room and into the kitchen, she grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge before making her way to the bedroom. It was Hermione's birthday and she was due to have dinner with her boyfriend and best friends that night, so she needed to get ready.

When Hermione entered the bedroom she spotted a large green box, tied with a silver ribbon, sitting in the centre of the bed. Walking over to the bed, Hermione placed her water onto the bedside table before examining the card on top of the present. From the colour scheme of the decoration she had immediately assumed the present was from Draco, and the card only confirmed that it was indeed from her boyfriend.

Placing the card to one side, Hermione untied the ribbon and lifted the lid on the box. Peeling the tissue paper that was in the box to the side, she revealed a set of green and black lingerie. Hermione picked up the skimpy undergarments to examine then, when a voice behind her made her jump.

"Do you like them?"

Hermione turned round to find Draco leaning in the doorway to the en-suite bathroom. Technically Hermione lived alone as Draco still resided at Malfoy Manor, but her boyfriend spent almost every night at her place so she wasn't the slightest bit surprised to find him already in her flat. His sudden emergence from the bathroom half-dressed however, had given her a shock.

"I do." Hermione replied, placing the silk garments back in their box. "But I suspect they're more for your benefit than mine."

"I'm sure you'll thoroughly enjoy the effect they'll have on me." Draco smirked.

Hermione laughed lightly as she headed towards her wardrobe to find something to wear. She knew Draco was right and they would both enjoy the sexy underwear he had purchased for her. Hermione's fears about not being good at sex were unfounded, she and Draco had a varied and fulfilling sex life that never disappointed either of them.

After picking a dress to wear, Hermione grabbed her new underwear and headed for the shower. After showering, Hermione got dressed and did her hair and make-up. Once she was ready, she grabbed Draco and the couple apparated to the restaurant where they were meeting Harry and Ron for dinner and drinks.

Hermione was relieved that dinner with her friends passed without a major incident occurring. Over the course of the previous year Draco, Harry and Ron had all learned to get along with one another. Hermione knew her two friends would never be great friends with her boyfriend, but she appreciated the three of them making an effort to be civil towards each other.

The only time throughout the night when Hermione worried things were going to get messy was when Harry and Ron presented her with her birthday gifts. When the boys produced the presents, Draco made a crack about them shopping at Knockturn Alley. Luckily both Harry and Ron could now see the funny side of what had happened a year ago and they laughed along with Draco at the memories of the immersion book.

After dinner, Hermione returned home while Draco popped back to the Manor to pick up the second part of his present for her. While Draco was away Hermione used the time to prepare herself and when her boyfriend returned she was lounging on the bed, wearing just her new lingerie set.

"Do you like what you see?" Hermione asked Draco, when he came to a stop just inside the doorway. Judging from the way his grey eyes were scanning her body and the bulge that was forming in his trousers, Draco definitely liked what he saw.

"Very much." Draco regained the power of speech as he stalked towards the bed, placing a large box on the floor beside the bed.

"Oh, is that my present?" Hermione asked, sitting up and peering at the box on the floor.

"I'll give you it in a minute." Draco said, pushing Hermione back onto the bed and climbing on with her. "Right now, I've got something else in mind."

Any complaint Hermione might have made was stifled as Draco's lips crashed into hers and he pinned her half-dressed figure underneath his fully clothed one. Hermione eagerly responded to the kiss as her hands reached out and began unbuttoning Draco's shirt. Very quickly after that Hermione had divested Draco of his shirt and trousers, leaving him in just his underwear.

"Do you want your present now or later?" Draco asked as he pressed kisses against Hermione's collar bone and neck.

"I'll have you now and the present after." Hermione replied, pulling Draco into a searing kiss as her hands pushed his boxers down his legs.

Draco quickly obeyed Hermione wish and divested her of her new underwear. In a flurry of lips kissing and hands caressing, Draco entered Hermione and they began to make love. What started out slow and steady soon became fast as furious as the couple lost themselves in passion. With a culmination of loud shouts and screams from both parties, Hermione and Draco climaxed almost simultaneously, before slumping back onto the bed tangled together.

After a few minutes recovery time, Draco leant over Hermione and picked the present up off the floor. Placing the box in-between them, Draco told Hermione to open it. Hermione sat up and began opening the silver ribbon that was tied around the box, it hadn't escaped her notice that this second present was wrapped in the same colour scheme as the first. Opening the lid, Hermione peered into the box and found a collection of books.

"Immersion books." Hermione commented, as she pulled the top book from the box and examined it. "Really? After the trouble we had last year, you've bought me a collection of them?"

Hermione was slightly sceptical of the present as she knew Draco was aware that she was unsure of the books now. While she had freely admitted she had loved the experience she had in the book, she had also admitted the dodgy spell had made her wary of even trying a normal book. In fact the spell in the replacement book that Dumbledore had given her had never been touched, Hermione had read the book but she had refused to do the spell even though she had been assured it was the correct spell.

"Your book last year may have been trouble, but it brought us together." Draco replied.

"I know." Hermione smiled. "And that was the best birthday present I've ever received."

"Until now." Draco grinned. "I promise, you're going to love what I've had done to these books."

"Please say, you haven't tampered with the spell." Hermione said, looking at the book in her hand warily.

"I have, but in a good way." Draco responded. "I actually had these printed specially from the makers of the books. Instead of the normal one person immersion, these books are equipped with a spell to immerse two people into the story."

"So only us two would be in the book?" Hermione asked, checking she had understood right.

"Yes, unless of course you cast someone else as your leading man." Draco replied.

"As tempting as that is, I think I'll stick with you." Hermione chuckled. "Although I do have to note, that yet again my birthday present seems to benefit you."

"I thought the first present benefited both of us." Draco smirked. "After all a few minutes ago you were screaming my name rather loudly as you reaped the benefits of wearing sexy lingerie. I'm sure this present will benefit us both as well, just think of the fun we can have."

"I am." Hermione grinned, looking up from where she had been scanning the back of the first book she had been looking at. "I take it these are all adult books with the racy content."

"Of course." Draco snorted at the idea he would buy anything else. "I only bought them for the sex."

"Let's see what you've got then." Hermione said, delving into the box.

For the next ten minutes Draco and Hermione examined the books in the box. They discovered all sorts of titles, including some more medieval stories and some historical ones, much to Hermione's delight. They also discovered that some of the books had the male character as the lead star and some had the male and female characters as equal leads.

"We should give this one to Ginny." Hermione laughed, picking up a book about a student having an illicit affair with her teacher. "I swear after last year, she has a major crush on Snape."

"Maybe, she liked what she remembered from the story." Draco replied.

From a conversation Draco had overheard his parents having a few night ago he had a sneaking suspicion that Ginny's crush was not quite as unrequited as it would appear. Lucius had been telling Narcissa that Snape had confided in him that he was having inappropriate urges towards one of his students. While Ginny's name was never mentioned in the conversation, Draco heard enough to know that she was the student in question. Draco had no idea if Snape would ever act on his urges but if something did happen between him and Ginny, Draco didn't want to be the one to tell Hermione about it.

"Do you want to try one now?" Hermione asked, drawing Draco's attention back to what was happening.

"Sure." Draco grinned, thrilled that Hermione had come round to the idea of the books. "Since it's your birthday, you can pick which one we try first."

"I've already picked." Hermione replied as she tidied the books they weren't using back into the box and handed Draco the book she was planning on experiencing.

"Pirates." Draco exclaimed, reading the synopsis about a pirate captain that kidnapped the beautiful daughter of a king who was chasing him and wanted him dead. Even though the synopsis didn't go into details, he figured the pirate captain and the princess would end up having a passionate affair and falling in love with each other.

"Yep, Pirates." Hermione smiled, taking the book back off Draco and breaking the seal on the spell. Exchanging smiles with her boyfriend she cast the spell that would send them headfirst into a pirate adventure set in the Caribbean sun.

**The End.**


End file.
